Keeping Faith
by Nursexxx
Summary: Lucy was broken. Fairy Tail was over, Natsu was gone, and Aquarius had sacrificed herself. Now, the celestial mage was on her own mission to rediscover herself, or at least try to mend the broken pieces. Rating is a precaution. Any feedback is appreciated! And many thanks to Queen Desna for her amazing family that I can’t picture as anything less than canon.
1. Chapter I

So I'm only going to do the author note thing once. This is one of half a dozen ideas running through my head. Hopefully there will be some surprises along the way! Updates will probable be very sporadic, but I will do my best! Feedback is appreciated, and I'll try to respond to anybody that does have comments or questions. I have idea for a pairing for this but it may change a few times before we get to that point.

Obviously I don't own Fairy Tail. Only time I'm gonna mention that fact.

 **Thank you to anybody who takes the time to read this!!!**

No one was in much of a mood to party after the defeat of Tartaros. Even Natsu was somber as they all took in the damage to Magnolia and what was left of their guild. There was rubble and debris as far as you could see, very few building had made it unscathed.

Lucy Heartfilia had a heart heavier than most as she picked her way through the wreckage back toward her apartment. She had lost one of her spirits, one of her first and closest friends. She felt as if there was a whole in her, that would never be whole again. She clutched the broken key even tighter in her hand, afraid to let it go even though it held no magic now.

When she finally looked up, she found herself standing in front of where her apartment should have been. Most of the building was a collapsed jumble of brick with some of her belongings sticking out here and there. She slowly started to pick her way up the massive pile to see what she could salvage. She was at a loss to even know what to try and save or what to even miss.

"Princess, I'm here to help," Virgo said softly as she opened her own door to the Celestial realm. A few seconds later, Leo and Capricorn were also opening their gates to help the girl that was slowly allowing reality to set in.

The tears started making their way down Lucy's face. Unable to process the thoughts running through her head she quickly sank to her knees.

"Lucy, shhhh, we're here for you. It might not be okay right now but it will be. Let's focus on one thing at a time. Do you know of anything you want saved right now?" Loke asked as he pulled the sobbing girl into his chest.

After a few more minutes of crying and a few hiccups later, the blonde finally raised her head and looked out over what was left of her life. She immediately saw the decorative box that held the letters to her mother, that gave her brain the kickstart it needed to start processing what the lion had asked.

"I want moms pictures, the letters to her, the little golden box that was in the back of my closet with my savings in it, and some clothes." Thinking those were the most important things to her, she really couldn't see the point in ripping the whole mess apart just to find useless things like pretty rugs or a pillow. No, she'd make due with the bare minimum for now.

"I'll go fetch them princess," the maid said as she burrowed into the ground. Loke kicked some larger chunks of wall over as Capricorn slowly made his way over to stand beside her.

"What will I do now? I don't have a home anymore. I wasn't strong enough to protect Aquarius. I just don't know what to do." Yet again the tears were pouring from the girls eyes.

"Fairy tail is your home Lucy, it's where your heart is. This was just a place you slept. There was nothing you could do to save Aquarius. She knew what she was sacrificing. Any of us would have made the same decision. Now you just need to hope that one day you'll meet again, after all we Celestial spirits are hard to get rid of. No matter what hardships come your way, we will always be right here," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Capricorn dismissed himself after seeing her shoulders and spine straighten with resolve and the determination put back into here eyes.

Once Virgo had retrieved the items requested, Lucy found a secluded corner and changed into cleaner clothes. There was some dust but after being in a destroyed building, who could complain? Virgo offered to take the items to the spirit world for storage, and giving her contractor a reassuring hug, departed.

"I'll accompany you back to the where everyone else is. Then we'll come up with a plan for you to get on your feet again," Loke told her as he started dragging her down the road. He was honestly afraid to leave the girl alone. He knew she'd put on a brave and collected front and would push her own problems to the back of her mind.

A short walk later found them standing outside the remains of Fairy Tail. There wasn't much left of it, just the doors and the front walls holding them up. Everyone was gathered around, not really talking but not wanting to be alone either. For once Natsu and Gray weren't fighting, instead they sat on opposite ends of the group from one another with somber faces.

Loke looked around at everyone's faces and knew whatever they'd hear next would decide the plan of action for Lucy. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her over toward Natsu and Happy.

"Natsu," Loke called, "what's going on?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I think me and Happy are fixing to head home," the pinkette said as he stood and motioned Happy that they were leaving. He walked with his head down and didn't even acknowledge Lucy or anyone else as he made his way down the road.

To say the celestial mage's feelings weren't hurt would be a lie. She'd lost one of the most important things in her world and her best friend just walked out on her without so much as a word. She decided she'd give him time to get home and she'd follow him.

She lost track of everyone that checked up on her and everyone she checked up on in the next little bit. It was getting dark when she finally got away and started making her way toward Natsu's small house near the forest. Loke put off a slight glow that lit up what few shadows there were, and soon enough the house came into view. However, there were no lights and she couldn't hear her boisterous teammate anywhere.

"Maybe he's by the river fishing?" Loke prompted seeing the beginnings of a bad situation starting. "Why don't you go have a look and I'll peek in the house and see if there's a note?"

Once the blonde was out of eyesight Loke made his was into the house. He knew what he'd find before he even looked around. There was only slight traces that Natsu had been here recently and those pointed to him being in a hurry. With a quick scan of the area, he found a hastily sealed envelope with Lucy's name on it placed on the counter. The lion spirit's heart dropped because he knew what would be in the letter.

"They're not down by the river. Did you have any luck finding anything?" Lucy called as she walked back up the drive. Her heart started beating a bit faster once she really looked at the way Loke was sitting and the forlorn look on his face. He didn't even say anything to her, just held out the letter.

With a questioning look Lucy began to tear into the envelope. With every word she read her heart dropped lower and lower into her gut. The tears slowly began to brim over her eyelids and before she realized, Loke was catching her before she dropped to the ground.

Natsu had left.

He said he wasn't strong enough to protect the ones he loves. That he's leaving for a year to train, and not to worry about him. How could he do that? They were supposed to be partners. They were supposed to be family and he left her behind when she needed him the most. The only consolation to this was that he'd told her she could use his house for as long as she needed.

"C'mon Luce, let's get your face cleaned up a bit and we'll figure out a game plan," Loke said as he put his arm around her shoulders and turned her into the house. He knew she was hurting but he also knew that dwelling on all of this would only be bad for her. He vowed right then that he'd do whatever it took to see her smile again.


	2. Chapter II

It took a week for Lucy to gather the courage to go back to the guild. She couldn't face the heartache of seeing all the destruction, nor could she face the questions her friends would bombard her with over the disappearance of the fire dragon slayer. She spent her time thinking about Aquarius and pilfering through Natsu's crowded home.

Apparently he'd gotten a lot of different types of things as rewards over the years from the various jobs he'd done. She'd found everything from foreign spices to priceless rare books, which she helped herself to, thinking that the pinkette would never miss them.

She also cleaned the monumental wreck that was the small house. After the first few hours of trying to do it herself, she eventually summoned Virgo to lend a helping hand. Once there was an actual living space and not just junk piled up around every wall and on any available open space, the house was actually quite cozy.

Every evening Loke would come sit with her by the fire and listen to whatever she wanted to talk about. Sometimes it was her feelings of abandonment from Natsu, other times it was her sadness from losing Aquarius, and sometimes it was just her wondering what the future held for her and her spirits. She would usually fall asleep after a few hours of him running his fingers through her golden hair. Then, he'd pick her up and carry her, like the princess he knew she was, to the bed and tucked her in for the night.

One morning she decided that enough was enough and she needed to go face everyone at the guild. She knew they all had to be worried about her and Natsu considering they both just up and disappeared. So, she got out of bed and brushed her hair and teeth, dressed in the clothes Virgo brought for her, which consisted of a simple blue halter top and a pair of short shorts and her knee high black boots. Once she strapped her keys and whip to her sides she was ready to go.

It wasn't a very long walk to the guild, but every step made her more and more aware of the destruction that had taken place. People were everywhere trying to salvage bits and pieces of their homes and businesses. There was the sounds of hammers and different other tools ringing through the air. Despite the overall sad state of the once proud city, every person she passed gave her a smile and there was the glint of determination in their eyes. Magnolia was a proud place. One that has seen its share of mishaps and has rose above and through every one of them. No matter how many times it may be trampled over, it would always triumph in the end.

Seeing the progress of the rebuilding effort put a smile on Lucy's face. She realized that she shouldn't have been pouting in Natsu's house for all this time. She should have been helping in any manner that she could. Sure, she wouldn't get over the sadness in her heart, but she could find a more productive way to spend her time and a vent for her frustrations.

She finally came upon the front gates of Fairy Tail, one of the few things about the guild that are still standing. Upon opening them, she found that they'd managed to clear out enough space to put together some makeshift benches and table tops. Most everyone was clearing away as much of the rubble as possible, whether by magic or just by physically moving things. Looking over toward a semi covered area, she couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the small ice cavern filled with what alcohol managed to escape the destruction.

"Long time no see Lucy, where's Natsu?" Levy called from her place holding what looked like a bucket of nails while Gajeel used his iron turned hand to hammer them into new wall posts.

About that time, Master jumped up on a rather large pile of debris and called for everyone's attention. He then promptly told everyone that Fairy Tail was hereby disbanded. No preamble, no explanations. Just the simple statement that their precious guild was no more. While everyone else shouted and screamed their displeasures, Lucy went numb. She's lost one of her spirits, her best friend and now she has no more guild.

Finally, with a rather loud shout from Master saying that there was no more Fairy Tail and that was final, Lucy was jerked from her own thoughts. Some were crying, some were trying to plan out a way for everyone to stick together and others were already making their way out of the gate.

Deciding she couldn't take actually saying goodbye to anyone else, Lucy also slipped out of the gate and took off back to the small house. Loke opened his gate and easily kept up with her quick pace.

"Loke, we're leaving. I can't stand to see every body look so defeated and down. So we're going to go before anybody thinks to come looking for me," the blonde said as she pondered on where it was they were actually going to go.

"Okay princess, I'll follow wherever you choose to go," Loke responded.

"Maybe we'll head towards the sea, I always feel at home near the ocean. Then maybe we can make our way to the mountains," Lucy began muttering to herself, making plans.

Virgo was waiting on them when they arrived at the small house. She had bags sitting in the floor and a backpack laying on the small table in the kitchen. Lucy coulnd't even begin to thank her for already having everything ready to go.

"Everything is ready to go princess. I packed you a bag with snacks and water in it and a jacket in case of rain. There doesn't seem to be a lock on any of the windows or doors. Should we alert anyone to keep an eye out on this place?"

"No Virgo, I don't think so. Natsu leaves this place like this all the time. Who would want to break into a rundown looking place like this anyways? Let's just head for the train station. Hopefully there won't be a very long wait time before we can be on our way," Lucy said as she shouldered the back pack and double checked to make sure Virgo hadn't forgotten anything.

"Would you like me to take your bags back with me princess?" Virgo asked, already picking up what few bags were in the floor.

"Yes please. Thank you Virgo." With that, the maid spirit opened her door and vanished with Lucy's belongings back to the spirit world. "Loke, you don't have to stay here with me."

"What kind of man would I be if I let you travel alone. I'll be here for as long as you need me. We both know I can stay out longer than any of the others. Besides, it isn't every day that I get you all to myself. Usually Natsu or Gray or one of the others are always around." He immediately noticed the sad gleam hidden in her eyes as she tried to cover it with a laugh.

"Well, you've got me all to yourself now. No worries of anyone else interfering, but enough of all that. I want this train ride to signify a start of a new era. Aquarius would tell me to suck it up and don't be a baby. Then she'd comment on my lack of boyfriend. So I have to go out and make a new life. One where I'm not just a Fairy Tail mage or part of Team Natsu. I have to go out and enjoy myself and experience things. Who knows, I might find a boyfriend!" With that last edition, Lucy was grinning from ear to ear.

The prospect of starting over was sounding better and better as time passed. She could become a whole new person, or no one at all. She could go anywhere she wanted. There were no limits or rules. She was free.

Loke couldn't help but think how happy Lucy looked as they boarded the train. He knew she loved her Fairy Tail family, but he also knew it was a heartache waiting to happen for her. He witnessed the growing feelings the blonde harbored for her pink haired comrade. He also knew that that particular relationship wasn't meant to be. He thought that this was a better break than any other possible outcome if they'd have stayed around one another.

Once they settled in their cabin, Loke sat down by the window and was enjoying the view while Lucy sat next to him with her head propped on his shoulder and her arms wove around his. He knew this was going to be a good thing for her. She could finally blossom into who she was supposed to be. There would be nothing holding her back, and he would make sure that she lived her life to the fullest. This journey was a start of a new chapter in their lives.

Soon enough they were pulling into the train station at Hargeon. Lucy raised up with a small yawn, a little disoriented. Loke chuckled at her childlike appearance and slight bed head. After Lucy straightened out her appearance and they retrieved her backpack from the overhead storage area, they departed the train and made their way out into the harbor town.

"Where do you want to go first Luce?" Loke asked as he looked around. Right at that time, her stomach let out a low growl which caused her to cover her face in embarrassment. "I guess that answers that question. How about we go get something to eat and figure out our next move then?"

With a nod of her head, they were off to find something tasty to eat. They eventually settled on a quaint little outdoor bistro. They laughed as they talked about old memories and sat and watched the ships come in and out of the harbor. It was very relaxing and almost made lucy forget the reason she was even there in the first place.

"So, where do you want to go next? Or we can hang out here for a while if you want to do that," Loke asked once the sun started making it's way over the horizon.

"I don't think I want to stay here. This is where Natsu and I first met. That seems like it's been so long ago, but at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday. It was right around that corner, that's where I first saw the infamous Salamander, of course I didn't know it was him at the time. We were inseparable from that moment on," Lucy reminisced with a slight smile on her face. No, she didn't think she could stand to be in this town that they first met at, and somewhere where they'd been back to a dozen times over.

She wanted to go somewhere new, somewhere untainted by any memories of Natsu or anyone else from the guild. She wanted to go somewhere that she could just be. No memories, no expectations, just her doing whatever she decided to do when she woke up that morning. So she voiced those exact thoughts to the lion and was surprised to see his smile growing with each word she said.

"I know just the place, leave everything to me!" Loke stated enthusiastically.

"Well, if you say so. Maybe we should get a room for the night first. It's getting a bit dark to travel. Also, maybe you should go back to the spirit realm while I find a room. It won't look so good us two going in together," Lucy said as she began to walk away from the low wall they'd moved to after they left the bistro.

"Aw but we could be two newly weds, out exploring Fiore for our honeymoon," Loke joked as he threw his arm over her shoulder.

"Hahahaha like anybody would believe that old trick. How about you just go on back and I'll summon you when I get settled. I'd like to take a nice bath before bed, and before you say anything, no I don't need any kind of assistance. You're almost as bad as Taurus." With the mention of his name, Lucy felt the bull's key warm against her leg.

"Very well. I'll be awaiting your call," with a wink, he was gone.

"Goodness what am I going to do with him. Now, time to find somewhere to sleep!"

Lucy walked around looking at the different inns and finally found one she deemed the one. It wasn't overly fancy but it wasn't dingy either. It was affordable and had nice big bath tubs, and let's face it, that's a huge dealbreaker.

After she paid the desk attendant, she made her way to her room where she put her bag on the bed and immediately went to take a bath. While she was soaking, she tried to think of where Loke has planned on taking her. There were few of the major towns in Fiore that her and Team Natsu hadn't visited. She'd be happy if Loke took her out in the woods to some cave. Earlier, she'd made up her mind, she was going to use this time to not only travel but to train, both physically and magically, too.

By the time the water was cold and her fingers were pruny, Lucy was ready for bed. Virgo had brought her some sleeping shorts and a tank top to sleep in while she was in the tub, and volunteered to dry and brush her hair for her when she got out. Loke was waiting for her on top of the covers by the time she left the bathroom.

As she neared the bed, he reached over and pulled back the edge of the bedding so that she could get under the covers. Once she was situated, he turned off the light that was right next to him and held out his arm for Lucy to come closer. She scooted over until her head laid on his chest and his arm was around her. To most, this would be an almost intimate hold, but to Lucy it was comfort. She trusted Loke not to cross any boundaries she'd already made clear. It wasn't long until her breathing evened out, all the while Loke was running his fingers through her hair. He knew she needed plenty of rest. Tomorrow their adventure really would begin.


	3. Chapter III

The morning brought high spirits for the blonde mage. Virgo helped her dress for the day ahead. Then Loke opened his own gate again and asked Virgo if she'd like to accompany them on their travels. Lucy was a bit surprised when the maid spirit agreed. However, Lucy did make the request that she changed clothes. She could only imagine the looks they'd get with Virgo walking around dressed as a maid and asking for punishment all day.

Once that was done and Lucy had checked out of her room, they were on their way. The first they did was stop for a quick bite of breakfast. Then, they bought tickets to Onibus, and from there, they rode a carriage to Hoseka to have a nice time in the hot springs.

It was an absolutely uneventful day and Lucy loved it. No screaming fights, no fist fights, no magic fights. No fights at all. She loves her guild mates but they were just to much to handle most of the time. Today, her most exciting adventure was watching the woman at the front counter of the hotel she'd decided to stay in, once she reached Hoseka, look at her, Virgo and Loke like they were the most scandalous people she'd ever seen. Not wanting the woman to get the wrong idea, Lucy quickly explained that she was a Celestial Mage and they were her spirits, and that nothing funny was going on.

After the woman had tried to say she wasn't judging, while failing to hide her relief, Lucy and the other two made their way down the hall toward her room. She'd decided to splurge on this particular hotel since she didn't have destructive teammates to worry about wrecking the place in any way. It featured a private hot spring for each suite and an outdoor seating area. It was perfect for her and her spirits to just relax in.

Lucy was almost to tired after a days worth of traveling to do anything, but the onsen looked to good to pass up. So, she quickly changed out of her clothes and got into the hot water. Loke decided he'd let the girls have their time and he went back to the Celestial Realm. Lucy decided she'd have Aries, Lyra and Aquarius each out over the next few days to enjoy the hot spring with her.

Neither one spoke, they just enjoyed the calm situation. Lucy felt herself starting to doze off and felt it would be best to go ahead and get out of the water. Virgo got out and started folding down the blankets on the bed for Lucy while she changed clothes. In the bathroom, Lucy couldn't help but smile when she noticed the over sized shirt that wasn't on the sink when she'd went out to soak. Knowing no one else would or could've put it there, she mumbled a quiet thanks to Loke as she pulled it over her head. Once her night time routine was finished, she made her way into the bedroom and promptly plopped onto the bed.

"Do you need anything else princess?" Virgo asked as she pulled the blankets up and over the blondes shoulders. Lucy was barely conscious enough to mumble a quick no thank you to the pinkette before she was pulled into dreamland. After a quick look around to make sure all the doors were secured, Virgo made her way back to the Spirit Realm.

The next few days were spent in a relaxing haze. Most of her time was spent checking out the outdoor markets and relaxing in the hot springs. She also spent time meditating with Capricorn and practicing hand to hand combat with Loke. On the fourth day, as the blonde was wandering through a small marketplace, she heard someone call out her name. She had barely gotten turned around when she came face to face with the dragon slayers of Sabertooth.

"Hey Sting," she said as the other blonde ran up to her with a grin. "Hey Rogue," she greeted the dark haired mage as he made his way closer at a more sedate pace.

"Long time no see, how have you been? We heard about Fairy Tail, that really sucks." Sting had a downcast look on his face. Everyone knew since taking over the role of guild master for Sabertooth he'd looked up to Fairy Tail, and wanted to make his own guild more of a family like theirs.

"I'm getting by. It's really lonely being by myself, but I have my spirits so I guess it's not completely horrible. I just hope everyone else is doing okay." Lucy got a little sad thinking about her other guild mates. She knew some of them would've went off together, like Gray and Juvia and Gajeel and Levy. She was more worried about people like Erza and Wendy who didn't really have anyone they were particularly close to.

"We ran into Natsu and the demon chick's little sister a few days ago. They seemed to be on more of a vacation than anything. They were arguing over where they were going to stay that night like some old married couple." Sting had a gleam in his eye talking about his rival and idol.

"You've seen Natsu?" Lucy was shocked to hear about the pinkette, and it took a few minutes for her to put two and two together to realize who was with him.

"Yeah him and Lisa or whatever her name is were in a town outside of Crocus. We ran into them as we were leaving to head here. They were in a restaurant eating when we ran into them," suddenly Rogue smacked his partner and gave him a glare.

Lucy had slowly zoned out of the conversation completely. Natsu had left her. He'd left her with just a note. He'd taken Lisanna. She felt a piece of her heart shatter again. She was okay with the thoughts that he'd wanted to go off on his own, but to hear that he'd taken the youngest Strauss sibling. That was the final nail in the coffin to Lucy's heart break. Wasn't she good enough? Or did their bond not measure up to the bond the two had before the other girl had disappeared to Edolas?

"Lucy, are you okay?" Rogue asked tentatively as he watched emotions ranging from shock to hurt to plain anguish cross the Celestial mage's face. Sting reached out and touched her arm after she didn't reply for another minute. The touch seemed to shock her out of her daze.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm glad he's okay," she attempted a happy face while saying something that broke her heart further.

With a single look at his partner, Sting knew they were both in agreement that they needed to cheer the blonde up. Neither man knew her very well. Not beyond the few interactions they'd had after the grand magic games, but they both knew that she was hurting. Lucy was one of those people that looked best happy, and with an unspoken conversation, they decided they'd put a smile back on the blonde's face.

"What're your plans for the rest of the day?" Sting asked as they flanked her on each side and subtly began to lead her toward a small outdoor eatery.

"Well, I really didn't have anything planned. Just training in the evening. Why?" Once she caught on that the two dragon slayers were leading her in a direction that was opposite of her original one she became curious.

"How about we get something to eat and catch up. We're in town for the night and didn't have plans either, and it's nice to see a friendly face," Sting said hoping that she'd be up for it.

"I guess it would be fun. You guys aren't up to anything are you? I mean, we're almost strangers after all." Lucy commented with a teasing smile as Rogue pulled out her chair at one of the small outdoor tables.

"Oh we plan to slowly seduce you over the course of the evening. Completely nefarious intentions," Rogue said without the hint of an emotion at all.

Lucy was shocked. First, she gaped at him. Then, after she really processed the words and meanings behind said words, she turned an absolutely glowing shade of red. Last, she tried to form a reply but couldn't manage to even raise her head to look at either of the good looking men in front of her.

"He's joking Lucy," Sting quickly interjected once he saw how uncomfortable his partner's words had made the blonde. When he whipped his head around to look at Rogue he was met with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Both men found the blonde attractive. They'd discussed that on more than a few occasions. They first saw her at the Grand Magic Games, then they caught glimpses of her in some of the Sorcerers Weekly magazines Yukino insisted on keeping around the guild. Neither one of them were looking for anything serious, but they couldn't see any reason why they couldn't make the most of raising the blondes spirits back up, and there was just something so magnetic about the Celestial mage.

"Oh, okay then. That really caught me off guard," Lucy said with a slight nervous giggle.

"Unless you're into it, then we can definitely make it happen," yet again the dark haired mage left the blonde speechless and furiously blushing.

When their waiter came, Lucy was in no state to order so the two dragon slayers decided to order for her, starting the evening with a light mixed drink and a sandwich. They ordered themselves a beer and a sandwich too. Nobody ever got far drinking on an empty stomach, and they planned on making this an evening to remember.

After they finished their food and two more rounds of drinks, they decided to move their little get together to another venue. The stars were beginning to shine the air was starting to get a slight chill.

Over the course of the few hours they sat talking they'd all gotten to know each other quiet well. The two men loved how upbeat Lucy was. She was easy to talk to and even easier to get flustered. Sting would compliment her and fawn over her, and Rogue took every opportunity that arose to bring a scarlet stain to her cheeks. She never once reacted badly to anything they teased her over, nor did she completely close them out. With every drink she seemed to loosen up more and more.

As they walked down the empty streets, Lucy in the middle of them, they didn't really know where to go next. They didn't want to sound crude by just saying hey want to go to our hotel room and hang out, but they weren't ready to end their time with the blonde yet.

"Hey, let's go to the hot springs! That one has an open roof and coed bathing!" Lucy giggled as she drug each man by the arm toward the indicated building.

Neither one of them were expecting this kind of outcome, but were definitely not going to pass it up. They grinned to each other over the blondes head as they entered the building and headed off to the men's changing room.

Lucy was surprised to find that she beat both men out of the changing room. She'd asked for some beer to be delivered to the outdoor bathing area. Then, she made her way down the hall and through the outdoor doorway. Thanks to the lack of ceiling, there was a layer of steam on top of the water, but she could clearly see that she was the first one to make it outside. She sighed as she eased herself down into the hot water, and as she waded toward the far side she spotted a cooler filled with beer and ice and a floating tray, too. Impressed with the speedy service, she popped the top on a bottle with a grin and sank onto one of the natural benches in the side of the wall. She took a swig and laid her head back on the rim of the pool.

Both men were knocked speechless to see Lucy relaxing in the hot spring. They looked hungrily at the way the water lapped at the tops of her large breasts that seemed to float in the water. The heat had given her skin a rosy glow and the moisture in the air had placed a glistening shine on her. They were both entranced to see the enticing figure she unknowingly presented.

"Starting without us? Shame on you Lucy," Rogue said in a husky tone once they both quietly made their way into the water.

With a start Lucy sat upright and grasped at her heart from the scare the dark haired mage had given her. "You shouldn't sneak up on people Rogue, it's not nice. And I wouldn't have started if you guys didn't take so long," she teased with her tongue sticking out at Rogue.

"Careful with that tongue Luc," Sting teased. The evening had start with only Rogue teasing her, but as time passed, Sting couldn't pass up on making the other blonde flustered.

"Or what Sting?" Lucy bravely quipped back.

A little shocked at her boldness, the two dragon slayers looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They turned back to the blushing woman with animalistic grins on their faces.

"Careful with your teasing Lucy. You know what happens when you poke a dragon?" Rogue grumbled as he crept right up in front of her.

"What?" She asked dazedly due to the close body of the man in front of her. Up until that point she hadn't paid much attention to his physical appearance. With Natsu's open front shirts and Gray constantly losing his clothes, Lucy was pretty immune to the male physique. However, with Rogue so close, she could see the scars that adorned his body and the veins that stuck up on his arms on top of his very firm muscles. She was caught in his gaze and didn't even realize Sting had made his way behind her.

"You get bit," he growled. It was then that Lucy felt a slight pinch at the juncture of her neck. She gasped and her eyes went wide as her hand flew back to investigate what was there, only to land on a head of soft hair.

With little thought, she realized it was the other blonde. He'd came behind her while she was caught up in Rogue and he'd bit her. After the initial pinch, she felt his tongue begin to soothe the spot. She was really confused on how to feel about what was going on, but she knew it felt good and didn't want it to stop yet. She knew she wasn't ready to go all the way with anyone, nor was she ready for any kind of commitment, but she didn't see the harm in a little fun.

Slowly, she spun around and draped her arms over Stings broad shoulders. "Oh yeah? What if I bite back?"

With that response, Rogue nipped the other shoulder and mumbled out around kisses, "Can you handle us both is the real question?"

Lucy brought one hand up into Stings blonde locks and pulled his head down to where her lips were brushing his, and the other hand went into Rogues dark ponytail. "Guess we'll just have to see right?" She teased.

Having enough of the teasing, Sting slammed his mouth onto hers. She tasted like the beer she'd been drinking before they'd arrived. He reached around her and grabbed Rogue's hips and brought him as close as he could, effectively sandwiching the woman between them, then his hands began to rub up and down Lucy's sides. Rogue began to ravish Lucy's neck and shoulder with kisses. He knew he'd hit a particularly sensitive spot when her hand tightened in his hair. He groaned when Sting brought him in to press the blonde between them. He was enjoying having her firm backside mashed against him and could only imagine how Sting felt. He slowly weaved his fingers in her hair to tilt her head to give himself better access without interrupting her and his partner.

Lucy was in heaven. She had two of the most delicious bodies she'd ever seen pressed against her, and both were doing absolutely marvelous things with their mouths. She could feel Sting begin to walk them all back towards the wall and eventually felt Rogue sit on the bench in the wall. However, she was completely caught off guard when Sting pulled back and spun her around and sat her on Rogue's lap. The shadow dragon slayer wasted no time in claiming her mouth for himself and it didn't take long before Lucy felt Sting take up the assault that Rogue had begun on her upper body.

The next few hours were spent in much the same fashion. After the initial attack, they began to enjoy the beer that had been left to them. Occasionally one of them would pull the girl back in for more kisses and light touches, but it never went further than that. They praised her throughout the process, telling her how stupid Natsu was for leaving her and how she should be treated like the queen she was. It was a huge boost to the blonde's confidence after hearing that the pinkette had taken Lisanna with him instead of herself.

Overall it was a very enjoyable evening for the three. Lucy ended up falling asleep draped across Sting's lap and the guys decided it was time for them to take the blonde home. They were both a little shocked to find a pink haired girl in a maid uniform standing just inside the doors to go back inside.

"Thank you for what you've done for my princess. She has regained her confidence thanks to you two. I'll take her and dress her, then I'll let you take her to her room," she said as they handed the blonde over. A little shocked that someone so small could so effortlessly carry the blonde, the two boys watched as Virgo took her master into the changing room.

"I think that went well," Sting commented with a smirk as they too made their way inside.

"I'd have to agree," the shadow slayer agreed.

After they were all changed, Virgo gave the blonde back to the two men, and it was Rogue who ended up carrying her back to her room. They both kissed her goodbye after they'd tucked her into her bed after Virgo had put her sleep clothes on her. Neither males would forget the sight of Lucy in her nearly see through nightie anytime soon.

With a final look back, they turned off the lamp at the side of the bed and made their way back to their own room. The blonde celestial mage slept soundly throughout the night with a smile. There were no nightmares of losing her oldest friend, nor did she see different scenarios of Natsu leaving her like she had been. She dreamed of a black and a white dragon. Both of which would play at her feet and wrap themselves around her. It was one of the best nights of sleep Lucy could remember having.


	4. Chapter IV

So I wanna give a mention to Karma95; thank you for your review!! I was so scared how people were going to react to that! But honestly they were just a pick me up for Lucy after hearing about Natsu. On that note, if those two shocked you then you'll definitely want to stick around to see where this goes! Lucy is on a major adventure! And your awesome review inspired me to write this so Merry Christmas, this chapter is for you!!!

And I know this chapter is way short compared to the last one, but this is more of a closing to an arc, a necessary evil.

The next morning Lucy woke up a bit confused. The last thing she remembered was being at the hot springs with the two Sabertooth dragon slayers. She blushed furiously when she recalled how wantonly she'd acted, but she couldn't bring herself to regret any of it. She had a feeling that if anyone else would have told her about Natsu and the take over mage she'd have slunk off and been a broken mess. However, Sting and Rogue seemed to know just what she needed.

She wasn't going to try and delude herself into thinking the night before was more than it was. They were all consenting adults who'd shared a very drawn out hot and heavy make-out session. Sure, there were three people involved and some people might judge, but she didn't care. She'd grown up being judged for everything she did. Once she left her fathers estate she vowed to leave the part of her that cared what others thought behind.

When her bladder made it impossible to lay in the bed any longer, she decided it would be best to get up and get her day started. Very slowly she went through her morning routine, and it was when she was looking for her keys and whip that she found a note laying next to them on a small table in the kitchenette.

Lucy,

Yesterday was fun. Come find us if you're ever near Sabertooth. Stay safe on your travels.

-Sting and Rogue

PS. Natsu is an idiot. Don't forget that.

She could do nothing but smile as she read the very direct note. She was glad that they were all on the same page about what last night was, and it really meant a lot that they took such good care of her.

"Princess I can't believe you'd let a couple of dragons comfort you but you won't let me. I'm hurt," Loke whined as he opened his own gate and plopped down on her couch. Rolling her eyes, Lucy began to look around the kitchen for something small to eat for breakfast.

"Loke you know I could never do anything like that with you. I love you, and they were just there. It didn't mean anything. Besides, I don't recall you trying to interject at any point during the evening." Cocking a hip and giving him a raised eyebrow, she dared him to find a good argument.

"Well they were taking care of you, then everything started happening so suddenly. I was kind of shocked honestly," he trailed off as he watched her flit from cabinet to cabinet.

"Yeah me too. I'm sorry Loke, that it hurts your feelings, but I'm not going to apologize for it happening. Plus, it's not like we're going to see them anytime soon. So let's just leave this whole incident here. I think I'd like to get a move on today any way. The further we can get from civilization the better."

Loke knew what she wasn't saying. He knew she needed somebody to want her and make her feel better after hearing that her best friend and first love, even if she'd never admit it, had taken another girl when he left everyone. In a way he was thankful to the two for being there for her. They helped her in a way he'd never be able to, and now that it was all over, she was ready to get out of anywhere there was even a remote chance of running into the other two Fairy Tail mages.

Once she was done eating the protein bar she'd found stashed in a drawer, Lucy started packing up what little she'd gotten out in their short stay. She knew she was being irrational. That the odds of Natsu showing up here were outrageous, but Lucy didn't want to risk it. She was still riding the high the two men had put her on the night before and didn't want anything ruining that.

"Here, let me take that stuff to Virgo while you go check out of the room. Summon me when you get finished," Loke stated as he took the few bags she had and disappeared in a shower of golden sparks.

It didn't take long for Lucy to get it settled that she was checking out days ahead of schedule, after she assured the woman at the front desk that there was nothing wrong with her stay. As she walked through the decently crowded streets, she gazed at the horizon and watched as a lone mountain seemed to loom in the distance. She'd never really paid attention to the raised landscape, but now that she did, it was as if something was burning in her gut to find out more about the place. Reaching the city gates, she brought out Loke's key and Capricorn's, deciding to summon them both to hammer out a plan.

"Miss Lucy, how are you? What do you need assistance with?" The goat-like man asked.

"What is that mountain over there?" Looking at where her finger was pointed, both spirits were almost shocked to see just what she was referring to. They were sworn by the spirit king not to speak of that mountain. However, they couldn't really deny their summoner either. It would be a very tricky game of telling just enough to get by and not so much that they were breaking rules.

"That mountain has no name. It was lost many years ago, before magic even existed in this world," Capricorn explained as he gazed out toward said peak.

"So there's nothing there? Is it dangerous?"

"Depends on what you call dangerous, and as far as cities and such, no there's nothing there. Maybe the occasional small village but that's it. People tend to get bad vibes from the mountain and try to avoid it," the lion stated as he pushed his glasses up. He was afraid of the direction this conversation was headed.

"Hmm sounds like a good place to escape the world," Lucy murmured as she unconsciously started making her way in the direction of the unnamed mountain.

Looking at each other, the spirits knew that she'd made her mind up. What worried them was the almost trance like state she seemed to slip into since initially discovering the mountain. There was nothing they could do to dissuade her from her direction, so they thought it best to accompany her in shifts. Everyone would be on their guard, though the mountain had long since lost it's name, it hadn't lost the murmurs in dark corners with it as their epicenter.

Lucy hardly noticed as her spirits fell in behind her. She was focused solely on the horizon. She didn't know what reaching that mountain would bring her, but she did know it would be amazing. How she knew that, she couldn't tell you. She just felt it in the innermost part of herself. So she walked on. Constantly keeping an eye on the raised landscape for fear it would disappear.


	5. Chapter V

Lucy and her spirits walked for days. Making their way from town to town. Through forests and over rivers. She took turns summoning different combinations of spirits and keeping them out for varying amounts of time. The hope was to enlarge her magic reservoir but not drain her to the point she couldn't defend herself if she had to. Virgo had gave her ankle and wrist bangles, not mentioning they were weighted until after they nearly took the poor blonde to the ground when she put them on. Sagittarius spent the evenings refining her archery, while teaching her to hunt and track wild game.

Perhaps her favorite part of the trip were the evenings and mornings she spent training with Loke and Capricorn. They'd both decided it was in Lucy's best interest to become proficient in defending herself without her spirits and magics aid. After a test spar to see where she was at with skill they deduced a heavy hitting fighting style wouldn't suit her very well due to her voluptuous chest hindering her movements so they focused more on her lower body and accentuated her low sense of gravity with a long ranged weapon called a kusarigami. Since she was already proficient with her whip, the transition to using the chained weapon wasn't difficult, however, she did have a lot to learn when it came to using the sickle part of the weapon.

Days became weeks and Lucy had finally gotten the hang of using the weighted ball on the end of the chain to subdue her opponent so she could get inside their guard and make use of the curved blade on the other end of the chain. At first, she was hesitant and very reluctant to learn to use such a violent weapon. She didn't like the thoughts of killing anyone, even if they were coming at her with the intent to kill. However, all that changed when a group of bandits ambushed her tent one night while she was sleeping. If it hadn't been for Loke and Virgo opening their own gates Lucy didn't even want to think about where she'd be. So, she finally submitted to her two spirits and took her lessons with the blade more seriously.

Lucy wore the weapon on her at all times now, and even slept with it under her pillow. She couldn't really complain because it really was beautiful. The chain was a shade of black that rivaled the night sky itself, the weighted ball at one end was a gold so rich it shone with an inner light like a mini sun. Her favorite part was the sickly sharp blade, such a dazzling silver that looked like moonlight itself was forged into steel.

While on their trek toward the ever growing lone mountain, Lucy would stop off in towns and villages and inquire about jobs she could take so that she would have money to buy supplies or even stay in a hotel for a night as they passed through. She really enjoyed this nomadic way of life. It was much simpler than having to worry about things like rent and keeping up with everyone else.

At the end of the sixth week, they finally made it to a small town at the base of the mountain. It looked to be rather small and desolate. There were a few children playing chase through the street and women sat around an open aired courtyard watching over them. They'd passed a few fields lined with crops on their way in, and crossed a bridge where there were men throwing fishing nets into the river. All in all it was a quaint little place, with a simplistic lifestyle.

"Princess what should we do first?" Loke asked as they walked toward the gathering of women.

"I'm going to find out a bit about this mountain. Then we'll figure out about lodging and stuff after that. How about you hang back here until I get things sorted." With that Lucy made her way to the other women with a smiling face. They looked warily at the approaching blonde.

"Hello, my name is Lucy. I'm wondering if you can tell me about the mountain?" She made herself look as friendly as possible as she asked about her destination.

The woman at first looked at her skeptically, then when she mentioned the mountain their eyes collectively widened. They began to shift looks back and forth between themselves after that. Then, they started whispering behind their hands to one another. After a rather quick discussion one woman stood from the rest of them. Her onyx hair swept into a long braid hanging over the front of her left shoulder, that she brushed toward her back as she made her way forward. Once she was in front of Lucy, her green eyes sparkled as she held her hand out with a large smile.

"Nice to meet you Lucy! My name is Rin. Sorry if we seemed a bit rude there, we're not used to getting visitors around here. How about you come take a seat and I'll try and give you all the answers I can. Your friend over there can come have a seat too, we don't bite to hard," she teased as she cast a glance at the lion spirit.

"Oh please don't encourage him, you'll never get him to leave you alone," Lucy laughed as she made her way to the bench with the dark haired woman.

"Princess you know you're the only one for me. However, I can always appreciate beauty," Loke purred as he kissed the hand he'd grasped belonging to Rin. Deciding she'd had enough of the flirt and that she'd never get anything accomplished, she sent Loke back to the spirit world.

"A princess huh? I don't think we've ever had one of those around here. Maybe I should get everyone to start preparing a party for tonight," Lucy couldn't help but giggle as she watched the other woman's green eyes start to get a fierce gleam in them.

"There's really no need, the princess thing is a little complicated, but I'm not technically royalty. My spirits just like calling me that."

"Spirits? That means you're a mage! A celestial mage right!? Oh this is wonderful! An ever better reason to throw a party!" She then left Lucy flabbergasted on the bench as she ran to the other women and began to quickly bark orders.

Lucy heard snippets indicating somebody was to round up some drinks, another was in charge of food, and someone else was to run out and inform all the people in the fields of what was going on. She was impressed with the efficiency the other woman seemed to control the happenings of the small village.

"Yes, I am a celestial mage. That was the zodiac spirit Leo, he's a bit of a flirt but he's harmless. There's really no need for you to go through the trouble of throwing a feast, I'm not anything special," Lucy was immediately cut off by the energetic woman.

"Honey, I've been waiting for an excuse for a good party for a long time. This place really needs a pick me up and this is the perfect excuse. So I'm being a little selfish and using your arrival as an excuse. I know you have questions about the mountain but if you can be patient and wait until tonight then all your questions will be answered. For now, come with me and we'll get you an outfit for tonight! I think we may be the same size, even though the top may be a bit of a squeeze." With that, she grabbed the blondes hand and started dragging her off toward one of the nicer looking houses toward the end of the village.

By this point Lucy began to enjoy being around the erratic dark haired woman. She loved her spirits dearly but there was something different about actually having human interactions. They kept a brisk pace through the village, having to stop occasionally as Rin checked the progress of certain people she'd pass. Finally, they came to the end of the village which opened up into a grassy meadow with a decently large wooden house on one side and a sprawling lake on the other side.

"It's not much, but it's home. Feel free to make yourself at home," Rin instructed as she led Lucy through a set of double doors into a very open room. A kitchen area was to the left and the living room with a sectional couch and ottoman and tables was to the right. There was a staircase that wrapped around the right side of the room up to a second floor. The whole place was decorated in dark greens and browns which reminded you of a deep forest.

"This place is beautiful! Do you live here alone?" Once the question was out Lucy could tell she'd asked the wrong thing.

"It belongs to the leader of the village, which was my father. Then my husband was due to inherit it once he passed it down, but they both died in a flash flood last year. Now it's just me," she recounted with a far away look on her face. "But that's neither here nor there. No use crying over spilled milk and all that. I'll see them again some day. On to brighter topics, follow me and we'll find you something to wear!"

"You really don't have to, I can have one of my spirits bring me something," Lucy tried to tell the woman who was already to the top of the staircase.

"No can do. Tonight will be a special occasion. We're going to give thanks to the spirit of the mountain for protecting us, and that means you have to wear something from this village. It's kind of like a ceremony type deal. You'll get to hear the story of the mountain and everything so it kills two birds with one stone. Now, stand out here while I dig through my closet."

The blonde watched as she disappeared into what looked like a whole different room. From out here she could see clothes lining the walls on both sides. She was honestly a bit jealous, she'd not seen a closet this large since she'd left the Heartfilia Konzern. She gazed around the large room in awe. There was a king sized four poster bed that looked like it had been singularly carved from the trunk of one huge tree. It was topped with creamy silk bedding and rich brown pillows. The armoire and vanity matched, looking like they'd each been carved from a single piece of wood.

"I've got it! This will be perfect! I've not even wore this yet!" Rin exclaimed excitedly from within the closet. She came out carrying what looked like fur and fabric to the celestial mage, but when she laid the outfit on the bed, Lucy couldn't help but gasp at it's basic and raw beauty.

The outfit consisted of three pieces. The first being a top similar to her Sagittarius star dress form. The material was some kind of smooth leather which was soft to the touch. The back was bare except for a thick strap on each side that would run from under her arm to a choker around the neck. The second piece was a pair of matching leather pants that would fit snugly and hug all her curves. Last was a fur lined hooded cape that reminded Lucy of a certain lightning dragon slayer.

After she'd put the outfit on she called Cancer out to do her hair, which she wanted left down in loose waves that reached her waist. As she admired herself in the mirror, she had to admit that she was enjoying the raw badass look with all the leather.

"Here Lucy I have a couple more things for you to wear," Rin called to her from the other room. Not knowing what else she could possibly need, Lucy was a little confused but was pleasantly surprised when she spotted the boots the other woman was holding. They looked like they'd come up to her knees and had buckles the up the front of them.

"Those are amazing! Are you sure it's okay for me to be wearing this stuff?" She asked as she began pulling the boots on and securing the buckles.

"Yes yes I'm sure. If I wasn't I wouldn't give them to you. Consider it a sign of our future friendship! Now, the last thing is a bit more special," with that she pulled out a pouch and pulled out a leather chord with a shining black stone hanging from it. "This is the heart of the mountain. You'll learn in a little bit why it's called that, but I want you to wear it."

Lucy didn't even have time to argue as Rin walked behind her and pushed her hair to the side. She tied the chord around the blonde's neck and the jewel hung down between her generous cleavage.

"There, now you're ready. The guys around here aren't going to know what to think. You might want to call out that lion of yours to play bodyguard." Like the dark haired woman herself had summoned him, Loke appeared in a shower of golden sparks.

"Did I hear someone talking about me? My princess, don't you look absolutely divine. Like a forest guardian come to life," he said as he looked the blonde up and down. "And you are a vision yourself," he complemented Rin, too. Which led to her rolling her eyes with a chuckle.

"Smooth lines playboy, but they're wasted on me. I think you can fit in some of my husbands old clothes if you wish to attend with us?" At Loke's affirmative nod she went back into the massive closet for one more outfit. She came out a few minutes later with another pair of leather pants, a thick leather belt and a pair of heavy leather boots.

After Loke changed they were ready to leave. By that time, the sun was already making it's way below the horizon and they could see the glow of a large fire in the center of the village. Lucy wasn't entirely sure what she was getting herself into but if it brought her a little closer to figuring out why she was so drawn to this mountain then she'd just have to go with the flow.


	6. Chapter VI

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to get this out!!! I knew what I wanted to write, I just couldn't actually get it to come out right. I still don't feel like this is up to par and I may go back later and change it, but I felt bad for not updating in a while!

Loke watched as his summoner and the dark haired woman made their way toward the group of people congregating around the large fire. He wasn't so comfortable with the idea of being here. It wasn't the people that were off-putting to him, but more like the whole place itself had an overwhelming aura to it. One that made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Looking around for any signs of danger the lion could spot nothing more harmful than the lust filled gazes of the village men as they caught sight of the two women in front of him. That made him simultaneously bite back a growl and puff out his chest in pride that the only man who was going to keep his princess company was him.

Lucy, on the other hand was caught up in the festivities going on around her. There were small children laughing and playing, the women were setting up food and other refreshments, and most of the men were dragging over logs and large stones as makeshift seats around the crackling fire. She found it very entertaining to watch them flex and try to show their muscles off to the younger village girls that were wondering about in very revealing leather outfits.

She couldn't help her writers imagination as it went wild at the scene, and before she knew it she was sporting a blush across her face and down her chest. She'd also unknowingly stopped in the middle of the roadway to let her imaginary scenarios play out in front of her, that was until the copper haired spirit slung his arm around her shoulder and started dragging her toward where Rin began talking to some of the villagers.

Leaning down close enough to where his lips just touched the shell of her ear, Loke spoke in a low growl, "What's got your face turned such and enchanting color my princess. Surely it's not watching those pathetic men try to flaunt their meager assets is it? I assure you, they have nothing on your loyal lion."

Used to his shameless flirting but not helping her body's reaction all the same, the blonde couldn't hide the shiver that ran down her at Loke's words and closeness. She really didn't know how to respond, so her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and she gently smacked the man's chest and stomped toward the gathering women with cheeks blazing. She could feel herself become even hotter at the deep chuckle she heard from her spirit. One of these day's she was going to pay him back and leave him speechless.

"Lucy, we made it just in time, they're fixing to start the ceremony so let's go find a good place for you to sit so you can hear the story!" Rin exclaimed when the blonde finally made it over. She thankfully didn't comment on the outrageous color of the celestial mages face and instead drug her over to sit on the ground in front of a low and flat rock.

It didn't take very long at all for the space around the rock to be filled on all sides except for a clear bath to the fire. There were children all around Lucy and Rin and she could see Loke propped up again a tree directly in front of her behind the crowd. Everyone seemed to be very excited by what was about to happen and that excitement leaked into Lucy herself. She wasn't positive she'd get all the answers she wanted but any little bit of information was better than none.

A hush came across the crowd as a white haired woman slowly made her way through the parted mass of people toward the flat rock. You could tell that she'd passed the prime of her youth a long time ago by the lines on her face and hands. She had a slight stoop to her posture and carried herself as if the earth itself was trying to bring her down. However, despite her appearance, her eyes shined with the excitement and jubilation of a young child and her grin was almost mischievous in it's lilt. She finally came to the flat stone and slowly made her way to stand upon it, giving her just enough height to look out over the amassed group.

"On this evening, we've been brought a very special guest. A star mage has found her way to us after a long journey, and she wishes to learn about the mountain that protects us. So today, we will give thanks and ask this special young woman to deliver the offering to the spirit of the mountain, but first let us remember our history." Lucy was a bit confused as Rin hadn't mentioned anything about an offering or even her helping to do anything, but that was pushed to the back of her mind as a hush fell across the crowd and the white haired elder began her tale.

"Generations ago, so far back that no one can recall, a group of travelers came to the base of a lone mountain. They were weary from their travels and decided to make their stop home. After months of establishing the start of a village, disaster began to strike. It started with a drought, then slowly, monsters began to come and take their livestock. They began to lose hope in staying at the base of their mountain, until one day a mysterious woman found her way into the midst of their village. She'd been wandering for days and days without any knowledge of where she was. She'd been separated from her group of companions and had aimlessly wondered toward a light she saw through the trees," by this point in the tale, Lucy was completely enraptured. Who could this mysterious stranger be? How would the poor village survive with all the horrible things happening to it?

"After the villagers had given her what food and water they could spare, the woman asked if there was any way she could repay their kindness. They began to tell her of their troubles and asked if she knew anyone who could help them end their plight. She explained that if she knew where her friends were, they'd surely help but was left feeling useless once she saw the looks of despair on the faces of the villagers. Then she felt a warmth creep from the chain hidden under her dress. She had an idea but wasn't exactly sure it would work, but with that explained, she headed up the mountain.

The villagers didn't know how to help so they began to send their prayers up to help protect and guide the brave woman. Late into the evening there was a loud explosion and the ground beneath them began to shake, and before they knew it, they heard water rushing down towards them. The dried river bed was once more a symphony of sounds as the water lapped at the banks and rocks began to turn and settle. The mysterious woman had done it. She'd brought back the water, which would help them nourish their crops once again. However, they waited and waited for the woman to come back down the mountain but she never did. Her blessings continued on, the monsters that once prayed on their livestock had disappeared and the village began to grow and prosper once more. And so, the villagers began to refer to the mysterious woman and her blessings as the guardian of the mountain and they held a feast in that honor every year. The only thing ever found to remember the woman by was her cloak and a broken key." At the end of the tale, the elder was helped back down and slowly approached Lucy.

"My darling, it was never confirmed that our guardian was a celestial mage, but that has been the belief of our village ever since that day. It would be an honor to have you say a small prayer and take our offering to the small shrine that was made in her honor."

Caught up in the wonder of the telling, Lucy could do nothing but nod in response to the woman. She had no idea how to lead a prayer for something like this, nor did she know where the shrine was, but these people were looking to her to fulfill something and she'd be damned if she let them down. She was then lead to a small table with a bag of sorts laden with freshly picked fruits and vegetables, all of the most beautiful shades and hues.

"This is our offering to the spirit of the guardian in thanks for another year of protection and blessings. There is a path worn into the mountain that will lead you to the shrine. Good luck my dear." With a pat of the hand, the old woman helped Lucy tug the bags straps over her shoulders and settled the weight to where it rested comfortably on her back.

Lucy took a look behind her thinking that maybe Rin would at least accompany her on this journey but her thoughts were proven wrong as the dark headed woman stood with the rest of the villagers watching her departure. Loke was nowhere to be seen, however at her thoughts of him his key began to warm at her hip. Not really knowing where to go, the blonde slowly began to make her way into the brush laden forest.

Before long, she could see what the silver haired woman had meant by saying a path was worn, for she could clearly see where many a person had made their way up and down the mountainside. Feeling much more comfortable, she picked up her pace and quickly trekked up the path. There was nothing overly special about the path, surrounded only by bushes and trees. Every now and then she could hear the distant echo of something moving in the woods, however she never got a threatening feeling from it.

The atmosphere was very calm as she walked. The air had a very moist smell to it and when a breeze would blow she could smell wildflowers even though she had yet to see any. The little light allowed through the canopy created a patchwork on the forest floor and would've made the walk very difficult if not for the path being so worn.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she could hear the rushing of a waterfall and see the trees becoming thinned. What met her eyes took her breath away. In front of her was a fifty foot waterfall cascading down into various levels which eventually poured into a small pond of the clearest blue and made it's way into the river flowing down the mountainside. It was surrounded by the greenest grass she'd ever seen spotted intermittently with vibrant wildflowers. What drew her gaze the most was the obelisk made of a smooth white stone with veins of blue and gold throughout. This could only be the shrine the elder had told her about. As she walked closer, she could see there was an indented space made into the rock in the shape of a key, however, the space was empty.

A shower of golden sparks alerted her to the lion spirit's presence. She was immediately on alert at the look on his face. Not quite sad, almost a pained look.

"Loke?" She questioned as she reached out a hand to try and comfort the usually happy man.

"Lucy please don't ask me to explain this because I can't." It hurt Loke to have to tell his princess there was something he absolutely couldn't do for her, but this was something strictly forbidden by the Spirit King.

Nodding her head, the blonde wrapped her arms around the spirit and just held him while he stared at the shrine. She knew he would do anything in his power for her but she also understood that some things were outside of his hands. She'd find out what the deal was behind this mysterious key, even if she had to ask Stache Face herself.

After Loke had seemed to calm down, and by this meaning he'd turned back into his playboy self and made a crude remark about Lucy rubbing her leather clad body against him, the celestial mage carried on with the task she was dealt. She said a small thanks to the spirit that protected the village and asked it for her blessing to stay upon its mountain. Then she placed the beautiful fruits and vegetables she was carrying in a stone alter at the base of the shrine.

Not feeling like making her way back down the mountain, Lucy called Virgo out and asked her for a few blankets and pillows so she could sleep in the open meadow next to the small pond at the base of the waterfall. She'd very rarely seen a view of the stars so pure and clear. Once her makeshift bed was set up, Virgo assured her she'd go back to the village and let everyone know she'd made it and not to worry. After the pink haired maid had closed her gate, the mage and spirit settled down on the mound of pillows and blankets and Lucy laid her head on Loke's chest.

The blonde soon drifted off to stories of the constellations and the copper haired man's fingers running through her hair. He would never get tired of telling her the same stories. This time with her was something precious to him, something no other contract holder had ever gifted him before. She gave him love and acceptance and seen him as more than just a tool or weapon. There would never be another like Lucy, and he didn't care if he had to face Acnologia himself, he'd protect her from all things.


	7. Chapter VII

A/n; I just want to start out by saying I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update! No lies to tell, I got caught up in reading some amazing things by some other authors and couldn't put it down. So please don't hate me to much! Hopefully this chapter will make up for my absence!

The next morning, after Lucy had had her fill of the food Virgo had prepared before she woke up, the blonde decided not to go back down the mountain. There was just a calming and serene atmosphere and it seemed like the closer she got to the top of the mountain the more in tune she could feel herself become with her magic. Loke suggested them finding a cave or something and setting up a camp there and staying in the area for a while since she'd wanted to do some training.

So, once everything was cleaned up, her and Plue and the lion spirit made their way upward. They stayed pretty close to the river that fed the waterfall that way they were guaranteed to have a source of water. Small animals scampered through the bushes but were not overtly afraid of the trio. It was a very relaxing hike and by the time the sun was setting and they were almost to the peak of the mountain they'd found their cave.

It's opening was a few feet off the ground but not high enough that Lucy couldn't jump to reach. The ceiling wasn't very high, Lucy could walk around just fine but a bigger person like Laxus would probably have to duck to avoid it. It was only about five feet wide at the opening but opened into a large circular chamber about ten feet from the entrance. Once Loke had inspected the cave to clear it for possible hidden animals or any kind of threat Lucy summoned Virgo to dig a hole upward from the top of the cave. She planned to have a fire inside and didn't want the smoke to be trapped inside with her. She was pleasantly surprised when the pink haired maid burrowed out a complete fireplace with a chimney going up through the rock.

"You spoil me Virgo. I just needed a hole in the ceiling to vent the smoke. You didn't have to do all of this!" Lucy gushed as she admired her spirits handiwork.

"It is fine Princess. I was simply giving you the most use of space. If you will summon Aries to help then I will return with some of your supplies," with a shower of golden sparks the maid was gone and Lucy was a little dumbfounded.

"Gate of the Ram!" Aries stood looking around at the interior of the cave in question.

"This is going to be home for the next little while. Would you mind making me a bed and maybe a few places to sit?"

Nodding her head but not immediately setting to the task, Aries looked like she was waiting for something, but when Lucy was going to ask her about it Virgo popped back up with a piece of paper in her hand. She couldn't help but he curious and was slowly making her way to try and look at what had her two spirits so engrossed but was caught around the waist by Loke.

"Come on Princess, let's leave it to those two. How about you go have a nice bath?" She was a little confused how she was supposed to have a bath. Sure there was a river right down from the cave entrance but that didn't really scream relaxing bath when the water was pretty cold due to the altitude. But she trusted Loke and decided to just follow him to see what he was talking about and before long she was being blindfolded and carried by the spirit.

"Loke, what are you doing?"

She could feel the rumble of his chest with his laugh as he told her he was simply taking her to bathe. Still a bit miffed, she crossed her arms and gave a sigh.

"Cheer up Princess, many women would die to have me carrying them off to where I'm taking you. To bad for them I'm now a one woman man." At that they both gave a small chuckle and Lucy relaxed into her lion's hold. They both knew which woman he was talking about and it wasn't the one in his arms. For all their flirting Loke knew the score.

Soon Lucy was placed on her feet and the blindfold was removed from her eyes. Before her was a hot spring. Surrounded on three sides by tall rock walls and a canopy of greenery. If she didn't know better she'd swear it was man made. She could see the steam in the air and couldn't wait to get into the aqua tinted water.

"The water is safe, I've done checked. Grandpa Crux says it has minerals in it that will do wonders for your complexion. I'll just walk over here while you get in. I don't want to leave you out here alone. I can't sense anyone nearby but I'm not taking any chances."

Lucy was a little in awe of this place. It'd been a little bit since she's actually gotten to soak in warm water. Lately it's been quick washes in streams, rivers or lakes. She hurriedly stripped out of her clothes and waded into the warm water. It was absolutely perfect. The water was just the right temperature to where it was just shy of to hot, there was a rock ledge around the edge just the right height for her to sit and just her shoulders and head would be above the water. She was in heaven and decided to enjoy it and laid her head back on the rock wall that wasn't altogether to uncomfortable and before she knew it she'd fallen asleep.

 _Lucy didn't exactly know where she was. She was surrounded by a heavy fog and no matter which way she turned she couldn't see anything through it. She didn't have her key's and the only option she had was to walk with absolutely no idea where she was headed. Thoughts of walking right off a cliff and plummeting to her death ran rampant through her head but she blamed that on her writer's mind. Then off in the distance she caught a glimpse of a light. She immediately broke into a sprint toward it. Being the only thing she'd seen in what felt like hours, she was almost desperate to reach it, and before long she was coming to a stop within a close distance of the light._

 _It was as if someone had plucked a star straight from the sky and placed it here. However, no matter how bright it was, it was almost like the fog was trying to hide the light. Every time Lucy thought she had a good focus on the light, fog would cover it and almost seemed to distort it._

 _"Princess of the stars, we meet again. It has been many years since I last looked upon you," though there was nothing but the light and Lucy, a voice rang out around them and and echo of the same voice and words were filtering into Lucy's own mind fractions of a second before she heard them with her ears._

 _"Who are you? Why do you not show yourself?!" Lucy called out as she looked around for the owner of the voice._

 _"You will learn who I am in time. As for why I do not show myself, this is your dream, and I can only insert my thoughts into your subconscious until you learn who I truly am. Then you'll be able to put a form to my voice. Until then, I am given whatever form your mind chooses." The voice was deep and rough, almost like it wasn't used very often. "I only came as an introduction. You'll need to grow in strength before you can truly find me however. Goodbye princess, I await our reunion."_

The fog slowly began to clear and Lucy could feel herself yet again being carried. This time, it was pink hair she found when she opened her eyes and found herself draped across Virgo's back.

"Big brother said you fell asleep in the bath once you got in so I washed you and put your clothes on you. There's food in the cave waiting. Relax some more until we get there." Not feeling like arguing, Lucy laid her head back down and drifted off again.

When they made it back to the cave, Lucy was in shock. The place looked amazing. Virgo and Aries had created furniture out of chains and wool. Sure the place looked a little like a sex dungeon but it was amazing all the same.

There was a large bed, that looked more like an oversized hammock, hanging from the roof of the cave by thick chains with blankets and pillows covering it. Then a little ways away, there was a sitting area with a chain made couch and chairs. Fluffy rugs were spread all over the place and there were oversized wool cushions and pillows piled close to the bed. She couldn't believe the two spirits had managed to turn this cave into a living space. Then the smell of food hit her and she could see the pot of what she assumed was stew hanging on a rack made of chains.

"Thank you both so much. You guys really are amazing. Please stay and eat with me?" After a group hug, they all settled onto the couch and pulled some of the huge cushions over to sit on as well. Loke had opened his own gate and was now curled up on the couch with Aries while Lucy told them about the strange dream she had.

"And you're sure you don't recognize the voice? It must be somebody you've met before Tenrou since they said it'd been many years." Loke was deep in thought about this. He didn't have a good feeling and he'd never known his gut to be wrong.

"No, I don't have a clue who it is. I don't think it's somebody I've officially met. Since he said I didn't know him to give him a form and my subconscious just decided to make him a star. I didn't feel any particular threatening vibes coming from him though. I just wonder what he meant by telling me I had to get stronger." Lucy was completely flummoxed by the whole experience. The fog was utterly disorienting, the voice made no sense to her what so ever, and then he made it seem like they'd meet again somehow.

"Regardless, let's not drop our guard. Obviously someone know's you're here. We'll just have to make sure one of us is with you at all times. Since you're going to train anyway, while you sleep you'll have one of us out with you. If we feel your magic is dropping to low, we'll close our gate and come back on our own. I'll talk to Capricorn and we'll get the rest of your schedule figured out. For now, you should sleep Princess. You've had a busy day." Loke was running through possibilities in his head. He didn't like that they had few clues to go on and that this mystery person could get to their princess where no one could help her.

"I'll stay with Princess. You guys go and talk to the others. Everything is okay here," Virgo told them with her usual blank face.

With quick goodbyes and promises to talk the next day, the couple disappeared in a shower of sparks and Virgo immediately started ushering the blonde toward the hanging bed. The faster she got in the bed and asleep, the fast Virgo could sweep the area and set up traps. She knew she was in for a long night of hard work, but she was a "harder the better" kind of person and doing it all for Lucy just made it even better.


	8. Chapter VIII

The time seemed to pass quickly for Lucy and her spirits on the mountain. Each day she started with meditation with Cancer, who firmly believed that good breathing and blood flow was the key to beautiful hair and skin. They also worked on expanding and contracting her magic and moving it from one body part to another. Then when they were done and Lucy had had her dip in the hot springs to wash off Cancer would fix her hair for the day.

The next part of her day was spent with Leo and Capricorn. Lucy would summon them in the forest and they would play a game of tag with hand to hand combat threw in the mix. She'd had a rough time admitting she wasn't an upper body fighter when they first started. Due to her large chest she couldn't extend and retract her arms very effectively and they'd had to reevaluate her whole fighting style. The end result was something that focused mostly on Lucy using her legs. She had lost count of all the bruises she'd been covered with in their first week of training. She learned a lot about her own center of gravity and how much reach and force she could get out of her powerful lower body.

After their spar through the woods Lucy would go to a cliff line she'd found on the other side of the mountain to train with Sagittarius and Scorpio. The blonde was a bit apprehensive about that at first, not wanting to upset the mermaid spirit that was so protective of the time she had with the red and white haired spirit. However, he assured her that Aquarius wasn't upset, she encouraged the blonde to get stronger so her and Scorpio could really be together again. Oh and maybe so she'd attract a boyfriend, too.

Scorpio would send discs made of sand sailing over the cliff toward the horizon and Lucy would use whatever ranged weapon the horse headed spirit had brought for the day to destroy it. She'd gotten very good with the longbow. Oddly it seemed that the farther the target got the more accurate she became. She learned to lead into the path the target was on, to take into account the wind or other weather factors. It took great patience to hit shots at such a distance, and when they'd first started Lucy severely lacked the needed calm. Now it was a matter of a few breaths, then boom. No more sand target.

The last part of Lucy's training was spent with Virgo and Aries. They taught her how to lure and trap. Aries taught her what it took to make something feel comfortable, how to make a trap not look like a trap, while Virgo taught her the actual trap itself. Lucy learned many snares and knots. Virgo even made her learn the hard way how to get herself out of each and every kind of knot she knew. They're training didn't last as long as the others because as soon as Lucy was efficiently catching her own food in the snares she set Virgo declared her a success.

This is what Lucy's life consisted of for an unknown amount of time. She had no calendar up on this mountain, nor did she honestly care what day it was. It wasn't like she had somewhere to be or anyone to meet. No, she had no guild, she had no family, and her best friend had left her with nothing but a note which made it obvious he wanted to be alone. That part didn't bother her. No, it was finding out that he'd taken the youngest Strauss sibling with him that tore her apart, but that was neither here nor there.

Lucy was purely satisfied to stay up on this mountain by herself. She had her spirits with her, the only people she could actually trust to never betray or hurt her. There was no need to go anywhere beyond the bottom of the mountain if she needed any kind of supplies. She enjoyed her secluded life, even if she subconciously realized it wasn't the most healthy coping mechanism. She knew she was punishing herself for something she had no control over, but she couldn't help but think that she'd done something wrong or not been enough in general and that's why Natsu hadn't taken her with him.

Lucy tossed and turned but couldn't seem to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. She'd let herself fall into a slump again and try as she might, she just couldn't hide it from her spirits. Virgo had wanted to find the fire dragon slayer and give him her own brand of punishment for breaking her princess's heart. Loke had wanted to track down Gray and give him an ass chewing too for not looking after the blonde better. She finally had to force their gates closed just to have peace and quiet.

Deciding she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, the celestial mage decided to go sit at the opening of the cave and star gaze. She felt so close to the twinkling lights up so high on this mountain. Like she could just reach up and touch them. She began naming the constellations to herself; Ursa Minor and Major, Canus Venatici, Cepheus, Lyra, Hercules. For some reason she felt like something was missing, that the night sky just didn't look right to her.

She never really realized she was falling asleep. One second she was mapping out the stars to herself, going over their stories and thinking of were their key's could possibly be hidden. Then the next second she was snoring lightly and leaning on the rock opening to the cave. She was just to far under to notice the pair of eyes that seemed to watch every breath she took.

The next morning Lucy woke with a crick in her neck and her legs numb underneath her. Apparently she'd fallen asleep leaning against the entrance to the cave and had stayed there all night. She was a bit surprised that Virgo or Loke hadn't popped out and put her to bed themselves. Trying to shake off the oddness of the whole occurence, the blonde began preparing for her day. She was going to go down into the village today and do some shopping. She'd been up on this mountain for a while now and she felt like she needed some human interactions. Not to say that she wasn't enjoying all the attention from her spirits, she just missed people.

Shortly after the dew had melted on the ground, Lucy began picking her way down the forest trail. She smiled as she passed the shrine that she'd left an offering at not that long ago. She could tell that harsher weather was on its way. All the animals were out and about gathering as much as they could to prepare for winter, and they all looked so cute and fluffy with their budding winter coats growing in.

Once the village came into view the blonde began to think of how much more in shape she was now, what had taken her most of the day to do when she'd firsts came here now only took a few hours. She was excited to see Rin again and some of the other women in the village she'd come to know over the few visits she'd made.

The sounds of a fight drew her attention as she was walking through the seemingly empty town. Alarm racing through her, she shot off toward the sounds. Her feet propelled her across the ground with newly developed muscles and she reached the other side of the village in no time. As she was going to walk around the side of a building she quickly ducked back around the corner to avoid the body that was flying her way. With a sickening crack the body met the side of the next house and fell to the ground with a resounding thud. The clothing made it obvious that it wasn't one of the villagers she'd come to be protective over, however, she was none the wiser as to who it was.

It was while she was looking over the mysterious body that there was a resounding crash behind her that shook the ground. Deciding that was a good que to find out who was getting to close for comfort to the village, Lucy donned her Taurus star dress and walked around the side of the building. She couldn't make out any shapes through the cloud of smoke but she called out anyway, "Whoever is out there, you better leave this village alone. These are good, quiet people that don't need any trouble. If you know what's good for you, you'll go back to where you came from."

Slowly the smoke was blowing away and she could see the silhouette of four people, two of which standing awfully closely in the center of the ruined clearing. She let the end of her whip drop to the ground when she saw one of the figures begin to approach her. She started to draw back to strike when a semi-familiar voice made her pause, "Lucy?"


	9. Chapter IX

It's a bit short but I thought something was better than nothing. There's really not much of an excuse other than pure laziness and procrastination. Oh and the fact that I'm completely sucked into FFXIV. It just won't let me have a life outside of it and work. 

Lucy knew that voice. Maybe not overly well, but she'd recognize the deep rumble anywhere. There's only one person she knew that could sound so disinterested and haughty in one word, and sure enough, her thoughts were confirmed when the smoke finally cleared.

"Cosplayer!" Bickslow exclaimed from his place next to the larger than life blonde. His babies came flying towards her with echoes of the dreaded nickname the Seith mage had given her. Now that it was apparent the village wasn't in any immediate danger, Lucy let her star dress go and walked toward the men in the clearing.

Laxus was holding up an unknown man who promptly started convulsing then was dropped none to gently on the ground. "Freed, can you do something with him until we get around to interrogating him? It's not every day we run into a fairy."

With that, the green haired mage began to write out a series of runes with his rapier. Lucy observed several other men laying in varying states around the clearing. With a brush of the hand against her hip Virgo appeared next to her.

"Punishment Princess?" she asked with the same twinkle she always had in her otherwise lifeless expression.

"No Virgo, do you mind giving Freed a hand in tying up all these guys? Maybe put them in a pit or something for safe keeping?" Knowing she'd have some fun with that Virgo gave an almost non-existent smirk as she bowed and disappeared into the earth to carry out her orders.

"Damn cheerleader, you look smokin!" the obnoxious mage jibed as they made their way over. Freed smacked his arm as he'd been sent away by Virgo, she had way to much fun with tying people up to share with anyone else. "What? She always was, but now something has changed!"

Lucy looked over the three men walking her way and couldn't help but appreciate their differences, too. Laxus was walking power and muscle. His uncontrollable blonde hair was sticking up in its usual fashion and his stormy eyes held their usual haughty look. Bickslow was lean and agile. He'd ditched some of the rather odd clothing he used to wear in favor of something a little more normal. A sleeveless black shirt hugged the defined muscles of his chest and back while purple cargo pants showed off his long legs before disappearing into black boots. His usual visor was nowhere in sight. Really the only thing still the same was his crazy hairstyle, which was sticking up everywhere as he ran his hands through it.

Freed, too, had changed but his was less in his appearance and more in his demeanor. He did trade his usual stuffy red coat in for a sleeveless black turtleneck that showed his well sculpted body off, displaying cut arms and a trim waist, and his hair was pulled up into an almost high ponytail now. Sleek black pants still left little to the imagination and his knee high white boots made his legs seem to go on forever. The few changes paired with the newfound confident and, daresay, teasing glint in his eye made the rune mage a rivetting picture as he walked closer.

While she was looking them over, the men couldn't help but notice how she too had changed. The swell of her hips had diminished some and she'd developed muscle in her thighs and ass which was made very obvious by the leather pants she'd taken to wearing since being on the mountain. Her chest was tightly bound and covered now, something she'd learned the hard way needed to happen after one to many nip slips during training. Her arms were more defined and bore a few scars from the training she'd been doing and she'd lost some of the roundness in her face. Even with less skin showing than before, the men thought the key mage looked better than before.

"So, what brings you boys out this far? And where is Ever?" She questioned as she began looking around of the brunette. The Thunder Tribe never went anywhere without the self proclaimed queen of the fairies.

"She's with the Strauss's. Couldn't bear to be apart from that big oaf. Not that I can blame her for staying where Mira Jane cooked all the meals. Being on the road with these two really makes me miss edible food." Bickslow said as he gave a slight chuckle.

"Like you can really say you're any better. You let a whole kettle of water boil away a few weeks ago. Almost ruined the thing if Laxus hadn't have smelled it," the rune mage picked back at the taller man. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the semi familiar bickering. They were still nakama, no matter what, but they were also different than how they were; more mature and less volatile.

"Oh hush, it's not like we starve damn it. As for your question, blondie, we've just been going from place to place. Doing little odd jobs here and there. Nothing to really write home about. Well, if there was a home," Laxus drifted off once he noticed the hard look come over the other blonde's face.

"Well, how about you guys visit with me for a night or two while you're in the area. I don't really get company except for my spirits. Just when I come down the mountain to the village. For some reason they refuse to make their way up that hill to visit." Lucy rambled, already turning around and expecting the guys to follow her.

She wouldn't go so far as to say that she was really lonely. She had her spirits to keep her company, and with them there was never a dull moment. However, it would be good to catch up with people from the guild. She was a bit curious to hear all the things they knew and how everything was changing since she'd locked herself in her hypothetical tower.


	10. Chapter X

By the time Lucy and the guys had made it back up the mountain, Virgo already had sleeping arangements figured out and a full spread of food laid out for them to enjoy. Laxus immediately went over and started shovelling down food, like he hadn't eaten in days. Bickslow went and flopped down on her pile of pillows and cushions she used as a seating area, and Freed was admiring the structure of the cave itself.

"Cosplayer, if this is what it's like living by yourself on the side of a mountain, sign me up!" The seith mage exclaimed from his laying position.

"I'm sure it wouldn't quite work that way for you Bicks. My spirits are the reason I can even do this so comfortably. I'd be helpless without them. They're really the only reason I've made it this long," the blonde whispered the last bit with a far away look in her eyes. She was remembering how everyone left. That none of her friends or team members had even given her a backwards glance.

"Well, we're here now, and honestly we expected you to be with Natsu. You two were always so close, but we heard some rumors a few months ago about a pink haired menace setting fire to a mountain side and he fled with his flying blue cat," Laxus grumbled out around the food he was still cramming in his mouth.

"Yeah well, he left me with a note. Not even a I'm sorry I'm leaving you or anything. Just an I'm going to train for a year, see ya then." Lucy explained, most of the bitterness she'd harbored was gone from her voice. Now she just had a reserved desolation about it all.

"Go figure that idiot would leave you to go train by himself," Bickslow called out, which prompted Lucy to start laughing.

"I don't understand. What's so funny about that Lucy?" Freed asked with a furrowed brow, honestly puzzled by the blonde's outburst.

"See that's the best part. I was upset that he'd left me, but everyone else left too," at this the other occupants in the room flinched. "Nobody else was my partner though, so it didn't hurt as bad. No what hurt was hearing from Sting and Rogue that they'd seen Natsu and Lisanna travelling together and talking about training together."

"Lisanna? That's where she'd went?" Bickslow sat up and had a perplexed and hurt expression. "I just assumed she'd went with Mira. Ever and Elfman were seeing us off and they were catching back up to them, but she went with Natsu?"

Vaguely Lucy could recall seeing the seith and take-over mage flirting around the guild. She didn't really pay much attention to it at the time, but towards the end before Tartorus, Bickslow had stopped making lewd jokes toward her and had semi calmed down. Perhaps it was all the youngest Strauss's influence. She suddenly felt an overwhelming kinship with the man. Not only had she gotten her heart broken, it seemed he had his as well.

"I'm sorry Bix," Lucy said softly as she went over and climbed on the pillow mound with him.

"Shit happens Cosplayer. Just really didn't see that one coming. I thought Natsu was all about you."

"Yeah, so did I," with that a few stray tears escaped from her eyes and the tall seith mage pulled her in for a hug.

The other two mages were in their own states of shock over this newest development. Both of the same mind that the fire dragon slayer was an absolute idiot. Lucy was the perfect example of what a woman should be. She was kind and compassionate, sensual and classy, and could kick ass when the situation arose. Neither of them could ever see the sense in passing up a chance with the blonde, and they were highly devoted to each other.

Recognizing the unspoken need to change the subject, Freed looked around for anything to direct their conversation toward. He couldn't help but to chuckle when he took notice of the magazines literring a corner table near the bookshelf.

"You wouldn't happen to be a fan of Ambassador Pradesh are you Lucy?" the green haired mage asked as he held up a magazine with said man's picture on the cover.

"Oh absolutely! He was my hero when I still lived back at the konzern. His views on peace and equality are just so uplifting, and how he carried on his wife's wishes after she passed. That man is someone everyone should aspire to be. If I could make a fraction of the difference that man has in the world, I think I could die happy then," the blonde gushed as she went on about the man that had shaped her views growing up more than her own father had.

To Lucy, Arman Pradesh was the example of everything a man should be. Kind to his fellow humans, true to his own beliefs, loving and faithful to his significant other and doting but stern to his children. She'd collected everything the man had ever written and insisted if he was on the lacrima screen that everyone should watch it. She went so far as to insist on having a Boscan tutor when she was younger. Her father was beyond pleased, thinking that his daughter was just preparing to take their company abroad when realistically, she hoped to escape there one day.

"You'll have to come visit him one day then Cosplayer. I'm sure he'd love you to pieces," Bickslow said as he watched the confused look come across the blonde's face. "Then again, he'd probably have you married off to one of us within a month. That man is nothing if not eager for us all to settle down."

The thoughts running rampant through Lucy's head just couldn't quite keep up with what was being said. Visit Arman Pradesh? She'd love that chance, but he was such a busy man and wouldn't just take any old visitor no matter how kind he was. Then the rest of the statement caught up to her.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying what I think you are Bickslow?" Lucy deadpanned. This was her idol and a very serious claim to make. "And don't even think about trying to trick me with this."

Seeing the gleam come into the seith's eyes, Laxus intervened before chaos could sprout, "Yes blondie, our very own clown is the son of Arman Pradesh. We were actually on our way to Bosco when we stopped by the town at the foot of the mountain."

"Yeah Cosplayer, that's my dad. Although the papers don't get it all right when they talk about how cool he is. We still love him though. Like boss man said, we were on our way to visit now. Probably going to join up with White Sea for the time being."

Lucy was in shock. All this time, she'd been around a son of Arman Pradesh and she didn't know it. She had so many questions, but one question caught her off guard before she could even open her mouth.

"Say Lucy, I'm sure no one would mind if you tagged along. What would you say to visiting Bosco with us?"


	11. Chapter XI

Quick A/N; So yes, last chapter I dropped in some Pradesh goodness. These wonderful characters are a creation of the AMAZING Desna. If you've not read any of her work, I sincerely urge you to do so. Especially Light of the Sea, Chapter 38 was just posted and can I just say HOLY SHIT! It got me so pumped! Anyway, originally I didn't plan to use the Pradesh family, but then the story took a mind of its own. So enjoy!

Dumbstruck by the question she'd yet to answer, Lucy couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. First, some of her old guildmates happened to be at the bottom of her mountain the one day she went down. Second, she had to rehash all the feelings that were left over from the whole Natsu issue. Thirdly, she just found out that there was a chance she could meet her hero, the man she dreamt of as her own father for years.

"Umm... Guys I'd love to," the blonde trailled off.

"I'm sensing a but here," Bickslow put in once it was clear that Lucy was highly unsure of her own statement.

"But this is so sudden. I'm not finished training. I feel like there's still something here for me. Don't get me wrong, meeting Arman Pradesh has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, but I just feel like I'm in the right place at the right time for once." By the end of her explanation, Lucy had made her way to the entrance of the cave and propped up against the wall to stare out at the emerging stars.

Meanwhile, her three guests each gave one another different looks. One of questioning, if this was a life long dream, why wasn't she jumping on it? Another was looking at her in respect. She was giving up a chance to fulfill one of her dreams because she believed she was meant to be here. The last just looked at the girl leaning against the rocks. Nothing beyond that. Everyone always looked at her as the light of their old guild, the bait of team Natsu or as the blonde with big tits and to small clothing. Here though, she was just a lost girl, not really sure where she was supposed to be in life, but she was trying to figure out everything on her own.

"That's okay blondie, I'm sure there will be other chances to visit in the future. This mountain is only a days walk from Bosco anyways. We can come back anytime, and if you ever need us for anything, you know where we'll be," Laxus tried to help alleviate the troubled look from the other blonde's face. They weren't exactly the most close people in the guild, but they had an almost sibling like bond forming before Tartaros.

"Yeah Cosplayer, no rush. You can stay up here on your little mountain. I'm sure once dad gets a wiff that we stopped here, and I really don't know how he knows everything he does, he'll ask twenty thousand questions. Then, you'll be on your own because i'm sure at least one or two of my brothers or sisters will just so happen to show up here." Bickslow couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought of the Lucy Kick Vander would get for popping up out of the shadows.

Just then, Virgo appeared in a shower of sparks. "Princess, would you like me and Aries to set up sleeping accomadations for your guests?"

"Oh yes Virgo please!" With that, Lucy summoned Aries, who was so close to being able to open her own gate, but was also to afraid of coming out at an inconvenient time to actually do it.

"Master Laxus and Master Freed will be sharing a bed right?" The maid spirit asked with a gleam in her eye. Not even giving the two men in question time to answer, she'd already hollowed out a place in the floor and aries had filled it with fluffy wool and blankets.

"I'm good over here ladies!" Bicks called from where he'd all but disappeared in the pile of pillows and blankets.

Looking over at her other two guests and noticing their red tinged faces but otherwise lack of complaint, Lucy thanked her spirits and told them goodnight. They also cleaned up the dishes from Laxus's buffet and everyone went through their nightly routines. Lucy was lulled to sleep that night by the sounds of breathing. She'd forgotten how loud such a mundane task could be, but she fell asleep with a smile regardless.

The next morning, the guys tagged along on her run and watched her go through some of her normal training. They were all impressed with how much she'd improved. Bickslow made cracks about her kicking his ass again and Freed kept complimenting her overall growth. She'd asked him to observe and compile a list of things he thought she may need to improve on. Laxus was perhaps the most impressed. She's came a long way in his eyes, from the girl that needed saving all the time to one that looked almost scary now.

"Blondie," Laxus called as she was going through some hand to hand moves with Capricorn.

"Yeah Laxus?" She called as she stopped a kick just as it was about to hit her right cheek.

"Let's spar." With those two words, everyone in the clearing came to a stand still. Capricorn wore a proud smirk, knowing the lightning dragon slayer would never say those words to someone he thought he could defeat easily. Bickslow and Freed were both concerned and proud of the petite woman, and Lucy herself was both excited for the chance to see how much she truly has grown and terrified of being lit up like a christmas tree.

"Okay then Sparky," With that she dismissed Capricorn and donned her Virgo stardress. Not giving her any time to prepare, Laxus started sending small jolts of electricity towards her. She immediately took to the ground. Occassionaly, you could see where she was by small puffs of dirt coming up from the ground.

"Can't hide all day Blondie, I know you've done more on this mountain that just get good at running," the bigger blond taunted. Then, an explosion quaked the ground behind Laxus and Lucy shot out of the ground wearing her Scorpio stardress. She sent sandblasts toward the slayer and backed him back across the field. He retaliated with blasts of lightning which were turning most of the sand on the ground to glass.

"Careful where you step big guy, I'd hate for the match to come to an end for some broken glass," Lucy taunted as she changed stardress forms once again, this time donning Cancer's. Before Laxus could even respond to the taunt Lucy had disappeared from sight.

"What the?" Laxus was caught completely off guard when he felt a sharp sting to his left arm. Looking down, he saw blood coming from a shallow cut across his bicep. More confused than ever he decided he'd better really take this fight seriously and focus. He still couldn't really get a read with his eyes on Lucy's location, but he could hear her moving. Moving faster than anyone other than the few speed mages he knew. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where she was but knew she was getting closer. Then he felt it, another sharp sting, only this time to the other arm. "Got some new tricks huh blondie. I'll admit, I'm impressed. I can't even smell the metal of the blade you're using."

"That's because there is no metal Spark plug," Lucy answered the unasked question by reaching down and pulling up a shard of glass long enough to use as a shortsword. "I use Virgo's form to place the hole's, Scorpio's to fill them with sand, and you provided the finishing touch by blasting it all with lightning creating the glass. Combine that with Cancer's speed and I have an unlimited arsenal and something you can't smell."

Freed was more than impressed. To have come up with such a strategy on the fly was impressive, but to put it to use this flawlessly was something amazing. To have enough faith in Laxus's lightning to know that it would create glass was something else, otherwise there would just be a buch of sand holes throughout the ground which would have been dangerous to both parties. Laxus was also impressed and so he decided he wasn't going to hold anything back and let his dragon force come out to play. Golden scales slowly started to cover his growing body.

"Big bad wolf has finally come to play huh Sparky?" Lucy asked with a gleam in her eyes. The men would never know the amount of joy she took in seeing Laxus going all out on her. Even knowing she probably couldn't beat him in the end, she was still happy he was taking her seriously. So, she donned her Leo form while the Aquarius marks got darker and more pronounced across her chest. She saw Laxus charging up his fists with dancing sparks as he began to stampede her way. She slowly began gathering moisture in the ground around her, not enough to be noticed but enough to make the grass, that wasn't encased in glass, slippery. Then she too covered her fists in Regulus fire.

When the two blondes met it was explosive, quite literally. The celestial fire and lightning created sparks that flew in every direction, and at the last second, Lucy had changed to her Taurus form so that she wouldn't be beat by brute strength alone. With fists still connected, Lucy used her lower center of gravity to use her other hand and pull the slayer off guard. Thanks to the wet ground, there was no steady turf to correct his change of balance with so Laxus was pulled around and slung into a nearby tree.

Laughing was all that could be heard coming from the dragon slayer. "Damn blondie, didn't know you had it in you. I'm impressed," Laxus said as he slowly picked himself back up and started dusting off his clothes. No one had expected anything of that nature to come from the celestial mage.

"Thanks Laxus, I know you can keep going, but that's it for me. My reserves are spent now," and with that the blonde welcomed the looming darkness.


	12. Chapter XII

A/N; I'm loving the reactions I'm getting to this! I really enjoy hearing everyone's ideas and thoughts! I do have a vague idea where this is going, but obviously things are very loosely in place, seeing as the Pradesh family wasn't orginally in the plans haha hopefully some of my future happenings don't run you guys off though.

Also, other than the steamy kiss earlier in the story, it heats up a bit in this chapter, i'd love some feedback on that. I've never written anything like this and I don't want it to come across as robotic or to awkward. Much love everyone!

Lucy came back to conciousness surrounded by an array of different voices. She could hear her spirits fussing about, assuring whoever they were talking to that they had everything under control and that they were quite familiar with Lucy over working herself. She could also hear what sounded like Bickslow mention that he could use his com to ask his brother to come and take a look at her. At this suggestion, her spirits were very wary and vehemently denied that option. Freed was discussing with Virgo what to cook for tonight that would be the most nutritionally valuable to help her replenish her energy. However, the thing that shocked her the most was the feeling of something holding onto her hand, something that tightened when she tried to wiggle her fingers.

"Blondie, I know you're awake. I'm so sorry I pushed you that far," Laxus started apologizing in such a broken voice. "We didn't have to go that long, you could've called the fight as soon as you got tired and I wouldn't have felt anything but proud of you. I can't believe how much you've grown. Hell I'd say give you another few months and you'd really kick my ass all over this mountain."

Lucy's eyes had began to tear up hearing the heartfelt words of praise from the stoic lightning slayer. "Sparky, you don't have to be nice just because I passed out. It's not the first time it's happened up here and it sure won't be the last. Now, stop being such a softie and let me have my hand back, I think you've squeezed all the blood out of it."

With a chuckle, Laxus let go of her hand and reached up and ruffled her hair. "Whatever blondie, see when the next time I try to be nice to you."

"Good, niceness doesn't really suit you. I like the grumbly, I'm gonna zap your ass Laxus," the celestial mage teased as she slowly got up to give her body time to adjust to the different flow of blood. "So, I think I'm going to go have a soak, anyone care to join me? There's a nice hot spring a few minutes walk from here."

At that, Freed shot Laxus a look with a blush lining his pale cheeks that had the slayer's pupils dilating. Not wanting to make thinks awkward, Lucy was going to say she had changed her mind and would just go wash off in the river but Bickslow beat her to it.

"Looks like it's just me and you Cosplayer. Hopefully by the time we soak and come back and crash out, we won't hear the love birds when they take thier turn. Gods forbid they go a few days without," the tongue lolling cackle was all that was left as the seith mage took off out the cave mouth, running from small jolts of electricity.

"Lucy, umm, it's not.." the green haired man stuttered out.

"Freed, it's okay. Nothing to be ashamed of. I'm all about you guys being happy. Enjoy the hotsprings tonight, I'll get Virgo to leave some massage oils, we had a good workout today Laxus," Lucy barely made it out of the cave before her blush hit her. She wasn't embarrassed because of what she knew was going to happen, she was embarrassed because she was picturing it and was getting aroused.

By the time she made it to the hotspring, Bickslow was already lounging with his arms crossed on the ledge and his head laid across them, giving Lucy a great view of his shoulders and back. She walked over to the small shelter her and her spirits had made for her to leave her clothes in and changed into a towel then made her way back to the hotspring. She slowly inched her way into the steaming water and took up the same pose as the seith mage.

With her head laid across her arms, she fell into such a relaxed state that she didn't feel the water shift as the other occupant came closer. She did jump when he reached out and started massaging her shoulders though.

"Easy Cosplayer, you had a rough day. Not everyone can take on Boss man in dragon force and live to tell the tale. Let me take care of you for a few minutes." Lucy was lulled back to a blissful state by the motion of his hands and the soothing lilt to his voice. She didn't feel the need to tell him that Virgo would have come out and done this had he not. Nor did she really see the harm in him continuing. She did, however, really start enjoying the movement and the feelings his hands were creating as he made his way from her shoulders on down her spine. She was also mildly aware that he was using some kind of cooling oil that counteracted the heat from the water, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin.

A slight moan escaped her mouth when he worked out a rather persistent knot at the base of her spine. Slowly, his nimble hands covered every inch of her back, kneading and pressing with just the right amount of force. Then, another moan escaped when he brushed the side of her breast. Not knowing exactly where this was going, Lucy was a bit intrigued. She'd always heard Bickslow was a playboy, but he'd never been anything but a gentleman to her, lewd comments aside.

"Cosplayer," he whispered into her ear as he began pressing kisses to the side of her throat. "This only has to go as far as you want it to. I'm Boscan, you know what that means, no means no."

Lucy laid there and pondered as he continued his light kisses and still mostly innocent explorations. This was the most physical contact she'd had between her and another human since the time with the twin dragons of Sabertooth. She didn't really see an issue with how things were going, and like he said, Bickslow is Boscan, he knows how to do things, and if she says stop, he will no questions asked. So, with her mind made up to at least test out the waters, Lucy turned around and slid her arms around the taller mage's shoulders.

"I don't know how far this will go, but I'll let you know when if it gets there," she whispered against his lips. As a sign of confirmation, he hungrily pressed his lips back against hers, thus starting a battle of wills. Bickslow was being gentle and touched her around the towel she still had in place, but this wasn't what Lucy wanted. So, she pulled the seith mage around her side, until the back of his knees hit the ledge she'd been kneeling on, causing him to plop down rather unceremoniously. Seeing him firmly on his ass, Lucy raised to her full height, still on her knees on the bench, and began to undo her towel. The water's edge came right below her nipples, making them harden with the cool air that was now hitting them. Laying her towel on the ledge of the hotspring, she straddled the seith mage's lap.

"See something you like Bix?" She asked with a slight giggle. If it wasn't for the hungry look in his eyes she'd be highly embarrassed. She'd always been self concious about her body, no matter how skimpy her clothes used to be. She had cellulite on her thighs and light silver stretch marks on her hips from them widening to fast for her skin to keep up with. She also had faint marks on her boobs from the same reason.

"I see some things I absolutely like Lucy," he said, almost in a daze as he reverently began to touch her, not going straight for her oversized bust like she thought. Instead, he started by trailing his fingers from hips to armpits, finding areas that made her squirm from being ticklish and others that made her gasp, being sensitive to the light touch.

"I'm sorry about the marks," Lucy began to apologize, thinking they were offputting and that they were the reason he was avoiding what most men would've done touched.

"Don't. Don't apologize Cosplayer. We all have scars, only assholes treat them badly. They're just a part of who you are. They're honestly pretty sexy because you still wore those clothes even though you had these. I never would've even guessed they were here because you didn't let on like you had a single flaw. You're confidence is one of the most beautiful things about you Lucy," barely getting out her name, the seith mage was pulled into a wet kiss. Wet encompassing the tears running down her face, because no one had ever made her feel the way he just did with such few words, the water that was splashed between his chest and hers when she pulled him back to her, and of course the battle going on between their tongues.

Eventually, Lucy let Bickslow have his dominance and just revelled in the touches the man was giving her body. He was still just trailing fingers over places and finding small areas to rub into or places along her hip to grab just right that made her groan and grind herself into his very obvious arousal. Lucy was anything but tentative when she reached between them, finding what she had already thought to be true. Bickslow was stark naked. She just chuckled into the kiss and grasped the man's impressive member, causing him to let out his own groan. She ran her finger around the tip, feeling the velvety softness become even harder in her hand.

"Mmm Cosplayer, you're gonna have to give me some boundaries here before we get a little to far," Bickslow growled into her neck, where he was pressing kisses to her ear.

"Just this far, not all the way. But Bix," Lucy gasped out as the man nipped her neck. "I want you to touch me, too."

It was like the gate had been opened for the man. He had full permission and planned to rock this girls world with the short time he had her. Slowly, he made his way from the underside of one breast, trailing light touches, while kissing and nipping his way toward the rosy peak of the other, both reaching their goals at the sime time. One sucking while the other one pinched and pulled. Lucy was starting to moan and gasp at the sudden attention to her sensitive nipples. They had been feeling neglected while the man toyed with the rest of her skin and now he was more than making up for that. He soon switched his mouth over while his hand made it's way down her body until he ghosted over clit. Lucy involuntarily squeezed his penis when he hit her bundle of nerves. She hadn't noticed the oil he'd been massaging her with was still on his fingers until the icy sensation made her arch her back and moan loudly.

From then on it was almost like a race, to see who could get the other off faster. Bickslow went back to attacking her mouth, his tongue plunging in and out of her mouth at the same rate his fingers were pistoning inside of her. While Lucy had found the oil on the ledge of to the side of his shoulder and was now driving him crazy with a hard grip and fast pace, combined with the icy touch she had courtesy of her maid spirit. Both mages were moaning out loud, groaning each other's names and not caring in the slightest that their two friends, or Lucy's devious spirits, could be watching.

"Bix..I'm about," Lucy couldn't even complete the sentence, the dark haired man's movements kept making her breath hitch.

"Come for me Lucy," with those words huskily whispered in her ear, Lucy saw stars. Quite literally. She arched her back as shockwaves went through her body and all she could see were the stars above her, but even with her world being rocked, she managed to take the seith mage with her. Him moaning her name, just as she could feel his member pulsing in her hand, she could also feel her own body clamping down around his fingers.

They both laid there for a few more minutes, letting their bodies come down from their respective highs. Then, Lucy reached over to the basket with the oil and pulled out a body wash she knew wasn't meant for her and began to wash off the tall man still beneath her. There was no need for words between the two. She washed his body off, then his hair, and once she was done, he returned the attention to her.

There was a comfortableness between the two when they made their way back to the cave. Neither one felt the need to define what had just happened between them. They were consenting adults, and Lucy had always appreciated the Boscan views on pleasure and release being a good destressor. It did however throw Laxus for a loop, when even under the scents of the body washes and the minerals in the hotspring itself, he could smell the scent of sex and his two friends, but he decided they were all big enough to make their own choices and who was he to judge either one of them for doing something similar to what he planned on doing to the rune mage.

Bickslow had pulled Lucy over to his adopted bed of pillows and wrapped himself around her. There were no romantic feelings between the two. Just a closer bond than what they had. Neither one of them were awake long enough to hear the growls coming from the hotspring, nor the sound of leather against skin. They were both soundly asleep, taking comfort from one another. They also weren't awake to feel the eyes glaring at them from the shadows at the entrance to the cave.


	13. Chapter XII alt pov

A/n: Just to clarify something, Lucy has been up on that mountain for months. So the jump in strength wasn't an overnight or even a short gained thing. I know I've not specifically said it but she has indeed been there a while. Also, I want this to have a long lifespan so I'm sorry if things seem a bit drawn out. Finally, the amount of squeals I let out when I seen that THE DESNA had commented on my story was probably ridiculous! Now onward to something that I honestly have went back and forth on even posting.

In the darkness is were he prefered to be. He blended with the darkness, had grown up one with the night, and it was from this beloved darkness that he looked on at a scene that puzzled him. These people in the cave, they all seemed vaguely familiar to him. It was almost like he'd seen them before, or dreamt them maybe. He honestly had given up remembering anyone at this point. He was so old, these people would be dust in their graves and he'd still be the same. He didn't know how long he stood there, just watching the four friends sleeping. There was something soothing about the sight, soothing but he also felt a pull to go in there himself.

Knowing the sun was going to begin its ascent soon, he decided to take his leave of the cave a bit farther down the mountain from his own perch. He wasn't worried about anyone finding him, the only way to reach his domain was from the sky and those that could fly were few and far between. Slowly feeling his magic take him over, he shot into the sky and slowly climbed into the clouds. Being this high was also something that seemed like a memory, however, it didn't seem quite right. It was as if the view wasn't high enough or something. The last few months he'd been having all these feelings, like he was forgetting something, an important part of himself, and he also felt as if he needed to prepare for something. He honestly didn't know which feeling scared him more. So, he spent most nights in the sky, trying to remember whatever he'd forgotten and waiting for whatever the gods saw fit to throw him next.


	14. Chapter XIII

The boys of the thunder legion spent almost a week with Lucy on her mountain. They all would train together every day, each testing their own mettle against the stars. Laxus and Capricorn developed a close bond, both being quiet and brooding most of the time. Freed got to spend some time with Grandpa Crux, asking questions about his own demon, which he'd been working very hard with and had developed an almost seamless existence with. Bickslow probably had the most fun, flirting endlessly when Aries and Virgo were around, just to piss off the playboy lion spirit.

They'd each asked her to tag along to Bosco with them at various points throughout the week and she was actually thinking of going. She'd always dreamed of meeting Arman Pradesh, and seeing White Sea was something she'd had on her bucket list for nearly as long. Her one true wish was that she still had Aquarius with her. She knew the mermaid would absolutely love to be summoned in the waters of the Grass Sea.

"I'll go," she whispered in a voice so soft everyone almost missed it. She was honestly shocked at herself for even saying it and would've acted like she hadn't if Laxus wouldn't have heard her.

"I was hoping you'd change your mind blondie. It's not good to isolate yourself like you've been doing." The lightning slayer had a far off look on his face, recalling a time when he, too, was cut off from everyone. "I'd be the first to tell you it gets you nowhere but in a dark place."

"Yeah, I guess I have locked myself in my tower for a few months to long. So, I'll come to white sea with you guys." At this she could see the big grin on the seith mage's face and thought it best to intervene before he got the wrong impression. "But, I'm not staying. Maybe a week or two but that's it. I still feel like i'm supposed to be here, but I do realize that it's not healthy to stay here alone so much."

With that, they all decided they'd use Laxus to lightning jump to Bosco the next day. Lucy's spirits were all proud of their holder's decision. They could feel her urgency about staying here, and they may have known a thing or two that she didnt, but they were still happy that she was sticking with her friends and fulfilling some of her life's dreams. Aquarius was a little miffed that she was going to miss out on the Grass Sea, but she knew the blonde would get her back eventually, and she'd demand to be taken back there.

The day they were leaving it was the perfect weather for Laxus to get the maximum range of a jump, stormy. With all the moisture and static in the air Cancer had insisted he braid both Lucy and Freed's hair to keep it from going wild on their trip. Virgo was the next spirit to make an appearance, only popping out long enough to take the little luggage the guys had back to the spirit world. Loke was the last to come out.

"Lucy, my princess, I want you to enjoy yourself on this trip and don't go falling for any hot boscans while you're there," the serious look in his eye was in conflict with the curve of his lips. "We want you to have fun, you're going to meet a lot of wonderful people." With that, the lion spirit bent down to kiss the back of her hand and vanished into golden sparks.

Lucy was a bit suprised at his actions. Usually he fawns all over her, even if they'd developed a brother/sister bond. This Loke was different. Almost like he was putting on a front and it disturbed the blonde greatly, but she decided if there was something important that needed to be said, her spirits would say it to her. Internal debate over with, she turned her megawatt smile on the other blonde in the group who was currently pulling on Freed's braid.

"Ready to blow this joint Sparky?" The other blonde lifted one arm as a sign for her to come closer, and his other arm wrapped around the green haired man, who seemed to have grown just a bit, or Lucy just had never realized how tall all three men were.

"Thought you'd never ask Blondie," the last thing Lucy could make out was Bickslow cackling. She could feel the sparks and static running across her skin, small jolts would hit from time to time, and she could tell they were moving very quickly.

Then, like they'd collided into a brickwall, they were halted in their tracks. Lucy clenched her eyes and tried to will her stomach to hold its contents while the three men were just fine, obviously having done this many times.

"Huh, you must be getting good bossman, right to the front door." With that the seith mage walked right into the large mansion they'd quite literally landed in the front yard of.

"Told ya not to doubt me with that storm blowing threw," the blonde retorted as he, too, followed the other man inside.

Freed walked over and rubbed Lucy's back in soothing circles, knowing how it felt to travel by the lightning for the first time.

"It gets easier Lucy, not at first, but once your body gets used to all the electricity moving through you, then you won't get sick like this anymore." Seeing the thumbs up the blonde had given him, Freed went off in search of the other two, leaving the blonde still sitting in the yard by herself.

Lucy was just listening to the sounds of everything around her. The soothing sound of the waves lapping on the shore of the Grass Sea in the backyard, the sound of the yard hands playing some kind of game with a ball, and someone walking right up to her. At that realization she popped her eyes open, forgetting that the sun was high in the sky and blinding.

"Well well well, what has my brother brought in this time? First one blonde and now another? I'm going to have to start going to visit him more often if you two are the measure of his company!" Lucy really couldn't make out much of the man, just that he appeared tall. Other wise he was just a big black silhouette.

"And you are?" she asked only to get a chuckle in response.

"Come on, I'll take you inside to where the others are, I believe they're waiting on you," with that, the mysterious man helped Lucy to her feet and began to lead her into the mansion to find the others.


	15. Chapter XIV

Lucy followed the broad form of the man in front of her, slowly letting her eyes trace from his broad shoulders to a trim waist and lean long legs. All in all she felt like he was a prime example of what the male species should be like. However, as magnificent as the man was, she just couldn't help the feeling that he was lacking. Not physically of course, but just some unconcious feeling she had. At that line of thought, the man turned and looked her deep in the eyes. She was lost in the sight, his light hair and pale lavender eyes were so exotic, even to someone who was a friend of the stars and all their shapes.

Unbeknownst to the blonde, Kaleb was picking through the thought process that found him lacking. He'd never been looked at with any thought other than the highest of praise and the feeling of being found anything but a god on earth was a little humbling. There was no reason for her feelings though. She found him to be attractive, could sense the magic power coming from him and found that enticing as well, but there was just something that was incomplete with it all. It was a strange feeling to Kaleb, one he'd never felt before. Still pondering over the oddity of feeling himself unworthy of something, Kaleb dropped Lucy off outside the room his brother and father were in, as well as Laxus and Freed. He dismissed himself, certain he'd be able to find a reason for Lucy's feeling.

"Lucy Heartfilia, what a beauty you've grown into!" An attractive older man greeted as she walked into the room with the others. He looked like the years had been kind to him, with barely any age at all to outwardly show on him, but his eyes showed the wisdom that could only come with time and experience.

"Dad, don't be hitting on Cosplayer, that's just gross," Bickslow said from where he was sprawled across the love seat that wasn't occupied with Laxus and Freed.

"Oh Bickslow I would never, not that she isn't an incredibly lovely young woman. No, I knew Lucy when she was small, to small to even remember. Her mother and Garnier were actually good friends. Both being Celestial mages and all. When we'd go to Fiore for business or even sometimes just to visit, we'd often stay at the konzern. Lucy was still very young the last time we visited," Arman trailed off, thinking of the times when him and his beloved would take their son to fiore to visit.

"I'm sorry to say sir, that I don't remember any of that," the blonde said sadly, seeing as how she'd met a man she looked up to for years, and she couldn't even remember it.

"Nonsense, that's to be expected! Now, come over here and we'll catch up a bit and then get you settled into your room," Arman took Lucy by the hand and led her to sit near Bickslow, where she curled into his side, enjoying how his long arms wrapped around her with room to spare. He'd become her favorite cuddle partner, seeing as how Freed was to uptight to really cuddle and Laxus was just to grumpy most of the time.

The four of them sat for a long time, Arman sharing tales of a younger and less stressed Lucy, while Lucy helped tell some of the more embarassing tales she knew of the Thunder Legion men.

"I'm so happy, Bickslow is home for the foreseable future, Laxus and Freed are also staying, and my wife's best friend's daughter has found her way here as well. Once Emzadi and Xally get here later in the week, all my children with be the closest they've been since they were just small. I do hope my house survives the coming weeks." Arman chuckled, but was seriously debating on asking Freed to put up a few barriers just to be on the safe side. He knew how destructive his children were, and he'd also heard the rumors of the destruction anyone from Fairy Tail was sure to leave behind them.

Lucy was happy she'd decided to come. When Arman showed her to her room that night, he left her with a small picture book. In it were photos of what was clearly Arman, with a beautiful woman holding onto his arm, and shockingly, her parents. Throughout the book, Lucy saw varrying stages of their lives. How young they were at the start of the book, then Layla's pregnancy and Lucy's birth, complete with a few pictures of a small boy fussing around her in different ways. She assumed that was Farron, Arman's oldest son. The rest of the book held pictures of Lucy and Farron and their parents throughout the years. Some of the last photos featured Garnier and a growing bump proudly displayed. The very last page in the book showed Layla and Garnier sitting amidst a pile of plush looking pillows laughing, while little Lucy and Farron were obviously asleep, both resting their heads against Garnier's highly pregnant belly.

A bit upset that she didn't know about this relationship their parents had but happy she'd found out in the end, Lucy sat the photo album aside. The last picture, particularly the glow Garnier showed, had Lucy thinking about her own future. What her children would look like and most importantly, what would their father look like? Her dreams were filled with broad shoulders, tan skin and midnight blue hair.


	16. Chapter XV

Lucy learned she greatly enjoyed the Pradesh's company. Her and Farron caught up a bit and even though they each could honestly remember very little, their friendship kicked off without a hitch, like they'd never been separated at all. They spent most of their time together reading out by the shore, listening to the waves and wildlife. He introduced her to his younger brother, Vander, one day when he happened to hear him, despite him being hidden in the shadows, peeping on poor Lucy while she was sunbathing. She'd laughed the whole thing off, after all these years, she was used to men watching her. Not to say she does anything for their amusement or to have them look, just that she was resigned to the fact that it was going to happen. She'd quickly became accustomed to his quick wit and perverse sense of humor, even going so far as to flirt back just to see if she could shock the shadowquip mage.

On her third day of being in Bosco, she was awoken in the middle of the night, a yearning feeling drawing her to the balcony. She wrapped a silk robe around herself to help stave off the chilly breeze coming from the sea and began to scan the horizon, looking for a possible clue as to what is giving her this feeling. She gave a great sigh just looking out, seeing the lights illuminating the grass sea, islands floating in the distance, then the stars shining and unhindered in their view of the world. If Lucy were to describe Heaven, she'd say this was it. Stuck in her musings, she almost missed a form swimming in the sea, the pull seeming to gravitate from them. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she slowly made her way downstairs and out the back doors and toward the mysterious figure.

The first thing Lucy could see was a set of muscled arms, slicing through the water effortlessly, propelling the rest of them forward quickly. Then, she saw glistening dark hair, left flowing in the water and sticking to what looked like a handsome face. She didn't realize she was walking toward the water until she felt the waves lap at her bare feet, so stuck in her trance she was, but she kept walking, until the water was up to her mid-thigh, just short of touching the shirt she'd been wearing to bed. The water was warm, much to her surprise, and it had a soothing feel to it, almost left a tingle behind once it stopped touching you.

So wrapped up in her thoughts of the sea, Lucy didn't notice the man she'd been watching earlier had begun to watch her. Eyes sparkled in the moonlight, tan skin shone with the water dripping down his tanned form. He watched her closely taking in every detail, from the way the moon turned her golden hair a shade of silver to the way the waves brushed against her skin. He'd not been envious of anything in a very long time, but at that moment he envied the sea of its ability to touch the beautiful creature that seemed to sing out for him.

Almost as if they were magnets being drawn together, Lucy's raised and met a set of dark eyes. The man before her was glorious. She shared a guild and friendship with many a good looking man, but they all paled in comparison to this one. Dark hair framed a beautifully sculpted face and laid wet across broad shoulders. She could make out darker shapes on his skin, but to actually describe what they were, she couldn't. The water teased at a trim waist and cut off her vision, which also made him look like he was standing among the stars themselves as they reflected off the sea. They were both riveted by the sight of one another, neither moving for fear of losing sight of the other. Just as he was beginning to make his way toward her, there was a sound from the house.

"I told you it was just Lucy Cris, nothing to freak over," Bix sighed as the two brothers rushed onto the back porch.

"I'm not even sure who Lucy is, but I do know there was someone else out here," the man standing next to Bickslow said as he scanned the horizon, coming up short when he saw Lucy standing in the sea alone.


	17. Chapter XVI

A/n; So I apologize for the teasing I previously gave. I literally had inspiration strike and had fifteen minutes to type and post what I did. So, sorry but not sorry haha

Lucy was almost in a daze. She'd turned to see what the voices behind her were about and when she turned back around, the man she was so enchanted with was gone. She felt a horrible sense of longing, like she'd missed out on something important, something that was absolutely supposed to happen. She felt like she stood in the wake of the sea for ages, just looking out, wondering who the stranger was. Eventually, Bickslow came over and lead the blonde to the chairs lining the porch.

"Lucy, this is my brother Christoff, he's a healer and a dragon slayer, too. He's going to check you over, make sure you're not going to catch a cold or anything after being out here," Bix introduced as he kept his eyes on the blonde who just kept staring out toward the sea.

Lucy felt the man next to her more than anything. He felt familiar, like there was also something about him drawing her, just not as powerfully as the man in the sea. Then, when she finally turned her eyes away from the water, which had become so still it was a mirror for her precious stars, her breathe caught in her throat. He looked similar to the stranger but so different at the same time. She could clearly see this man has black hair, while the other man's hair seemed to shine a dark blue. She also noted the similarities in physique; broad shoulders, tall height, and over all muscle tone. She wasn't close enough to really see his eyes, so she had no comparison to the eyes that looked like the sky in front of her. Curiously, she reached out and slid the unbuttoned dress shirt off Cristoff. Slightly disappointed, she found only the tattoos of his clan running down his side instead of what she'd seen.

Looking questioningly at Bickslow, Christoff wasn't sure what the blonde was doing. She'd been analyzing him for almost ten minutes, almost like she was trying to see something that wasn't there. He'd felt a strong magic outside, one that didn't feel threatening, but it was still foreign, so he'd decided even though he had just gotten home, he was going to check it out. Bickslow was also on his way down the hall from the kitchen when Cris passed him so he was going to tag along too. The babies flew to the door and started humming and chanting "Cosplayer" "Lucy" and that was going to be then end of the mystery, but something just felt off. He'd heard stories of Lucy Heartfillia, though he hadn't had the privilege of meeting her himself yet due to being away on a job. He knew she was a strong celestial mage that most spoke of in awe or envy, but the magical signature he felt didn't feel like the stars. It felt more raw, like pure power. Though, there was a hint of celestial magic in there as well, it almost felt tainted. The closer to the door he got, the more he could sense a second person out there. Their signature was faint, almost as if the first was trying to shield it from the world but it's bright light was to much to keep contained. By this point, Cristoff had broke into a jog and he busted out the back doors with Bickslow yelling out behind him.

He was baffled when he came to the sight of Lucy alone. He knew there was someone out there. He'd felt the power, the dominance, and now, all he felt was a need to help this blonde woman whom he'd never met. So, he let her take her time, running her hands over his arms, looking deep into his eyes as if she was searching for something. He too took this time to observe the woman in front of him. Her blonde hair shone in the moonlight, chocolate colored eyes still had a glazed look in them. He let some of his magic flow into her, checking her over and making sure whoever was out there with her hadn't done anything malicious to her. Finding nothing negative, he pulled his magic back into himself, but was slightly surprised when some of her's wrapped around his and woulnd't let it go. There were no bad intentions from her magic, just a sense of comfort and safekeeping, so he didn't fight and stopped trying to pull it back to himself. If the blonde was that close to his brother then he saw no reason to not get close to her as well.

"Lucy, who was out there?" Bickslow asked once he saw the glazed look leave the blonde's face.

"Umm… I'm not exactly sure. I was asleep and the next thing I knew I woke up with the feeling of needing to be outside, to get to whoever it was. So I came out and don't even remember walking from the porch to the sea, it was like I was stuck in a daze watching him swim. I thought maybe it was one of your brothers at first, but then he had a familiar look to him. Like I've seen him before but just can't quite put my fingers on it. I knew what the rest of your brothers looked like from the pictures around the house, so I knew it wasn't them," Lucy trailed off, yet again looking out to the sea. "I'd really like to know who that was Bix."

Looking at each other in concern, both brothers decided they'd discuss this with Kaleb and get Vander and Presca out to see if they could find any clues. "Don't worry about it Cosplayer, we'll track him down. Now, let's get you to bed."

Bickslow went to reach to pick up the blonde but wasn't really surprised when she leaned into Cristoff instead. He'd always been the teddy bear of the family. Even him and Kaleb went to their brother on nights they couldn't sleep. The big slayer just chuckled and picked the blonde up to carry her to her room. Lucy was sound asleep by the time Cristoff tucked her into her blankets. He couldn't help the feeling of needing to protect this woman, like she was somehow important to his overall being.

"Go on to bed Cris. I've got her," Bickslow said as he was stripping his clothes off. While him and the guys stayed with Lucy in her cave, she got real used to Bickslow's aversion to clothing, so now being near him with nothing or almost nothing on was no big deal to her. Cristoff chuckled watching his brother climb naked into the pink bed, the blonde immediately turning in her sleep and tucking herself into Bix's arms. He could hear the seith mage humming while he stroked the girl's hair as he shut the door.

The next morning was a little crazy, Lucy found herself wrapped around a very naked Bickslow, and usually they'd make their way to the shower together and have some fun, this morning the blonde felt like there was something inside of herself telling her no. So, she got up and made her way to the shower alone. Bickslow was only pretending to be asleep, knowing if she wanted his company she would've made it more than clear. He threw on his shorts from the night before and the rest he put in the hamper and made his way to his own room to shower and get ready for the day.

Breakfast was a semi-awkward affair, with Cristoff stealing glances at Lucy and everyone else getting the wrong idea and making perverse comments because of said comments. Lucy honestly didn't know what was wrong with everyone, her head stuck in the clouds thinking about the mystery man from the night before. Bickslow was busy trying to convince Kaleb to just check her memories to see who it was. The latter was hesitant to do so, explaining that unless it concerned the safety of his family or the city then he didn't see why it warranted him picking through her head. It was in amongst this mental debate that Lucy decided she wanted to go back out to the beach and sun bathe. She promptly left the dinning room to go change into her swimsuit.

As soon as she was out of the room Kaleb told Bickslow that Vander and Presca would be back that evening and he'd have them check out the scene and see if they could find anything to figure out who this mystery person is. Satisfied that they'd have a clue later, Bix went to join Lucy and Cris outside where they spent the rest of the day.

Kaleb spent most of the day pondering over the thoughts of his brothers. He'd looked into both of their heads, felt the feelings they'd felt last night. There was no argument that there was a fourth person there. He could feel the magic signature trying to cocoon Lucy's own brighter light. If Vander and Presca couldn't find anything, then he'd have no choice but to look into Lucy's own mind to see the stranger from her point of view. For now, all he could do was enjoy the day with everyone else.


	18. Chapter XVII

Lucy spent the next few days in a paranoid state of being. She felt like no matter where she went, whether it be on the grounds of the Pradesh estate or in the city, she was being watched. She knew everyone was curious about the events of the other night but she was just as clueless as the rest of them. Hell, if any of them could tell her who the strange man was she'd be eternally grateful. Sadly, she was stuck feeling this yearning deep inside her, and she knew it was completely tied to that man. She could still see the outline of his body as he swam in the sea. The moonlight glistening off the water sliding across his body. She was in complete awe of the specimen in front of her, and the encounter only lasted minutes but she felt as if she stood on that beach and watched him for hours.

She thought maybe he was a native to the area and that she could ask Kaleb if he happened to know who he was but felt it was foolish. He had an entire guild to run, the biggest on the Earthland. Those thoughts were going through her head one day at lunch while she was walking through the city. She knew she had someone on her tail, but for now she was enjoying the sights and sounds by herself. She'd felt almost an aversion to people lately, preferring to be off alone rather than amongst everyone else which was odd for her.

Lucy eventually found herself eating lunch at an outside bistro, watching the people walk through the outdoor market across the street. She enjoyed how open everyone was, smiling and laughing, touching each other as if everyone knew everyone. It was really refreshing to see after being in solitude for so long. She was lost in her thoughts when white leather blocked her line of sight. Startled out of her inner thoughts, Lucy looked up and met the pale lavender eyes of none other than the mindbender she'd been thinking of earlier.

"Kaleb, how are you? I don't often see you outside the estate or the guild hall. Would you like to join me for lunch?" The blonde asked the wizard saint.

"I'd love to Lucy, I had actually meant to find you at some point but I've been decently busy lately," Kaleb hadn't even gotten situated in his chair and wait staff were flocking him to take his order.

"Look at you Mr. Popular," Lucy chuckled at the attention the mindbender was getting.

"You're one to talk, the looks men and women send your way and the thoughts they have about you could even make Vander blush I'm sure."

At that, Lucy did turn a pretty shade of pink. She'd embraced her sexuality and wasn't a stranger to hot looks or erotic thoughts, but to hear it confirmed that strangers thought the same of her, well that was enough to make most people blush. So she did what she was taught to do when things take a turn for the embarrassing, redirect.

"So Kaleb, I have a favor to ask you, about the other night," Lucy paused, stirring the pasta on her plate and gathering her thoughts. She missed the slightly surprised but anxious look on her companion's face when she first asked the question. "I don't know who that man was, I don't consciously ever remember seeing him before, but he seems familiar. It feels like there's a part of me that called out to him. Hell, it woke me from a deep sleep, the need to go out to him. I guess I'm just curious if you could tell me anything about him?"

Kaleb sat and thought through Lucy's request for a moment. He knew the blonde was telling the truth in stating she didn't know who he was. However, the answers, or lack thereof, that Presca provided were more than troubling. Even though Bickslow and Cristoff had felt the magical energy with Lucy's that night, the only trace Presca could find anywhere on the beach were his brothers' and Lucy's. According to Presca there was no one else anywhere near that area. He'd looked at Bickslow and Cristoff's own memories of the event, saw the strange man and also the effect it was having on Lucy, so he knew there was a man there. He just couldn't figure out who the man was. He'd been waiting on the opportunity to delve into the celestial mage's own mind since it had happened, hoping she held the keys to this mystery.

Without a second thought, Kaleb began prying into the crazy mess that was Lucy's head. Her mind was a labyrinth of thoughts, but it was neat and organized. Colored flowers tucked into green hedges made a mapping system of her mind. It was rather beautifully laid out, yellow lilies leading down a path of memories, blood red roses led through her emotions, a soothing shade of blue led to an even tidier portion of the maze containing her intellect, but the most eye catching part of the maze was the very center that Kaleb could barely make out. He could see the top portion of what looked to be a globe, but that didn't seem right as it wasn't a visual representation of the planet at all. Curiosity got the best of him as he made his way down the yellow path, stopping to watch clips of memories of Lucy's life as he went. He saw times from her childhood with her mother and Aquarius, her first meeting with Natsu, their victory at the GMG. In all these memories she was so vibrant and happy. However, they were not the memory he wanted, and so he began to sift through her memories of the last few days, she kept hold of so many things that would seem trivial to others but were treasured to her.

Finally, Kaleb found what he was looking for. He fully immersed himself in the memory, feeling what Lucy felt when she was awakened from her dream and called out to the sea. He felt the yearning for the mysterious figure and now felt sorry for the blonde for being denied that which she craved. Once he'd made his way toward her, Kaleb stopped the memory. Intent on burning the man's image to memory. He could see the appeal with the man; tall stature, broad shoulders, fit build. He was very easy on the eyes and Kaleb immediately knew he'd never seen the man before. Someone that looks like that sticks out. From the long unruly hair to the tattoos on his upper limbs. No, this was not someone the mindbender had come across before, but now the plot has thickened even more. He began to ponder how to catch a traceless mage as he walked his way on toward the center of the maze.

The sight he came to absolutely stole his breathe. Taking up the entirety of the center of the maze was a semi transparent dome, replicating the night sky. The constellations floated around the dome, alternating between their physical star form and their magical spirit form. Kaleb was enjoying watching them all until he noticed one was missing, and where Aquarius's constellation should've been, there was a black hole. Walking into the hole Kaleb found withered hedges with black dahlia's lining the way. There were memories playing down this pathway as well and it didn't take a wizard saint to realize these were Lucy's darkest times. He saw Lucy sitting by her mother's side as she drew her last breathe, Phantom Lord's attack, getting the news her father had passed away during their 7 year slumber on Tenrou. Perhaps the hardest for Kaleb to witness the last two memories stored here; Lucy breaking Aquarius's key and Natsu leaving with just a note. It was then that the mindbender had decided he'd had enough and withdrew form the celestial mage.


	19. Chapter XVIII

I know, I know. I'm an awful person! I've just been under the weather and writer's block has really been kicking my ass. I'd sit down to write and a few sentences would come out at a time. I'm still not 100% satisfied with this but it's better than nothing. On the plus side, things are going to start getting a bit juicy, in one form or another. Of course there will be heartaches and loyalties tested. Oh the drama! 

* * *

Kaleb Pradesh was many things, but a brooding type man he was not. Everyone wondered at the things he'd seen inside Lucy's mind. As soon as he retreated from her inner thoughts, he explained that he would take the new information and see what he could find. While not entirely out of character for the guild master to take on personal projects, especially when they involve his family, the way he would be lost in thought and unaware of what was going on around him was horribly uncharacteristic. It was one such time when his sister came sashaying through the door, back from a mission in a small outlying town.

Seeing her brother so absorbed in his thoughts, the water mage decided to have a bit of fun. It was always warm in Bosco, summer months were indeed hot, and the rainy season brought on a constant humidity that seemed to add an extra layer of moisture to everyone's skin. Not wanting to be to awful, the called upon the extra moisture in the air and concentrated it, adding more to the already existing water and sweat on her brother's body. He had droplets running down his chest, which was exposed by the top he was wearing. Xally finally took mercy on her brother and decided she didn't want to have to clean up the mess if she used any more water on the preoccupied man.

"Kaleb, brother, what has your mind so far away?" That seemed to snap the large blond out of his inner conflict and his eyes came back in to focus. He seemed to unconsciously seek Lucy out and listen in on her thoughts throughout the days. Sometimes she would be thinking of including parts of her own adventure in her novel, then others she was plotting some poor soul's death. Currently, she was admiring his brothers and thinking on how unfair it was that all of the members of the family that she'd met so far were beautiful. No matter how her confidence might have grown, there was always going to be that part in the back of her mind nagging her that maybe Happy was right about all the mean things he used to say to her.

"There's a guest we have, her name is Lucy. She's currently down at the training field with our brothers. Perhaps you should go introduce yourself. She's slowly turning out to be like Laxus and the rest, honorary members of the family." Kaleb knew his sister and the celestial mage would get along flawlessly. They were both pretty well grounded but knew when to let loose and have fun as well. Slowly, the mindbender got lost in his own thoughts again. Xally decided to just take her leave without disturbing him again.

Lucy sat under a shade tree next to a small creek that ran on the edge of the training field. She'd been working on her hand to hand combat with Capricorn and Loke when Vander and Bickslow came walking out. Soon, her spirits were observing as their keyholder battled it out with the two men. Vander was popping in and out of the shadows, smacking her butt here and groping a boob there, while Bickslow was forcing her to bend and move in unconventional ways. The combined effort always kept Lucy on her toes, never knowing where Vander was going to come from and it helped with her flexibility. After their little game of cat and mouse was over, they went to one on one combat. Vander wanted a chance to see what Lucy had and she was more than ready to show him after him feeling her up.

They just stared at one another for the first few minutes, both going over what they knew about the other in their head. Lucy knew Van could travel through the shadows, mold them into any shape he chose. She also knew he was an incredible fighter and unlike most, knew how to use his brain, regardless of him never showing that fact. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to actually beat him, but she did know she'd give him a run for his money. Before she could even finish her thoughts, he was gone, vanished into his shadows. Lucy only had one thing that she thought would work against the shadowquip mage, and so she waited.

Lucy sensed the man pop up behind her more than anything, felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and the feeling of eyes on you. Giving absolutely no thought to the action whatsoever, Lucy spun with a Lucy Kick aimed at the man's midsection, it was the biggest area to hit after all. What he was not expecting was for her foot to be engulfed in blinding light as it got close to him. He tried to escape into the voids before it got close but his shadows wanted nothing to do with the light, wouldn't even accept him because he was so close to it. Vander had a moment of panic, having never had his shadows taken away like that before. Right before the kick hit, he braced himself, knowing it was going to hurt. The kick landed and Vander was knocked into a wall on the other side of the training ground. Lucy didn't expect for the hit to land, had only even pulled on Loke's Regulus light as an experiment. She had started to head toward Vander as a dark haired woman came around the corner of the wall.

Xally heard a slight commotion, then a thump and picked her pace up to get to the training ground. She wasn't prepared to see her brother sprawled against the wall holding a spot on the back of his head. Pulling his hand away, she could see there was blood already seeping through his hair. She turned to look at the people standing on the opposite side of the training ground, Bickslow and a blonde that she assumed was Lucy.

"You know, Kaleb thought we'd get along, but the first time I meet you and you've quite literally busted my brothers head. I'm not sure whether I should be angry or thank you for possibly knocking him down a peg or two," the water mage laughed as she made her way over and shook the blonde's hand.

"Cosplayer, this is our sister Xally. Don't let her nice face fool ya, she's just as scary as Em when she wants to be," at this she slapped his arm and gave him a pout.

"I'm not really around much, I've been studying to be a doctor at the university and doing some volunteer work in some outlying villages. I'm only back now to give Kaleb an update and because he said Bickslow and his group were here and it's about time I finally meet the poor souls that can keep this guy in line."

Right on que, there was a crack of thunder and a flash of light in the middle of the training ground. When there sparks settled, there stood Laxus in all his glory. Before any greetings could be shared, he began sniffing the area. He'd been around everyone here more than once but suddenly something just caught his attention and wouldn't let it go. He knew he looked a bit foolish, sniffing the air like he was, but he didn't care. He had to know where the smell was coming from. It smelled like the grass sea, but a bit sweeter. Finally, he noticed the dark headed woman turn around and he felt like he'd been struck by his own lightning. He knew who this was, had actually met her on a few occasions, and he also knew what these reactions were leading him too.

The thing was, Laxus didn't know if he was ready for all that. One mate for one lifetime, which for a dragon slayer, was a hell of a long ass time. His gaze was stuck in her sparkling blue eyes, her trying to figure out why he was acting the way he was.

"Laxus answer me," Lucy said calmly, snapping the slayer out of his daze and immediately drawing his gaze to the other blonde.

"Sorry blondie, what did you say?" He chuckled at being caught so air headed.

"I asked what you were doing here? You pop in and you start being weird as soon as you got here," Lucy was looking at him with deep suspicions. She knew those reactions. Being Natsu's partner had led her and Grandpa Crux to spend lots of time researching slayers and any kind of behaviors they may have. Now, she was curious with what Laxus would do with that knowledge that she knew he'd figured out.

"Uh well hell I'm not exactly sure. Just decided to pop in, but I guess I'm going to go get me a drink," he began to head toward the outdoor bar, being especially careful to avoid the direction the water mage was standing.

Lucy definitely didn't miss the fact that he took the longer route. She also saw the disheartened face Xally wore when he didn't even greet her, but what really pushed her over the edge was the obvious flinch Laxus did when Xally let out a sad sigh. Seeing this whole interaction triggered something inside of Lucy. She'd always cared about the wellbeing and happiness of her friends but this seemed to be even more of a drive than that. She was going to either push the two together or push one or possibly both of them completely away from her. All she could hope was for the best.

"Xally, we've not really had the chance to get to know one another, how about a nice spar. Twinkletoes and shadow boy couldn't keep up, and you know they always do say not to send a man to do a woman's job." Lucy knew this wasn't going to make or break quite a few things, but she was prepared to risk it all.


	20. Chapter XIX

"Lucy." Just that one word was enough to make the celestial mage pause. He never called her by her name. Ever. He was still walking away from them, but he make a come here motion with his hand, and she felt an inclination to follow.

Lucy knew what the two were to one another. She also knew that Laxus was with someone else. However, fate didn't care about the affairs of men. The choice was made before any of them even thought romantic things. Laxus had the choice to reject Xally, and vice versa. They could go about their business like nothing ever happened. Of course they'd never be complete, they'd always have that thought in the back of their head, "what if?" The blonde herself didn't know why it mattered to her, nor why she was so willing to hurt her friends. She knew Laxus would feel guilt over this, at least until the mating bond was well in place, then he'd see that this was always meant to be. But poor Freed would be devastated, he'd adored the blond slayer for years. This was everything he'd ever wanted from life, and now it was all going to be taken away. Xally made a shooing motion to Lucy when she turned to excuse herself to follow the lightning slayer. She knew this wouldn't be a very easy conversation for either party involved.

So, Lucy began to slowly follow the other blond to the outdoor bar around the way from the training grounds. Laxus ordered for both of them, already knowing what the woman would drink. Meanwhile, Lucy went and secured them one of the private outdoor booths. Like the ones inside the guildhall, these were ruined to provide the most privacy they could. Most of the time they looked like a small canopy with canvas sides, but when in use the attachment of the doorway would trigger the runes. She honestly had no idea what to expect. Would he be mad at her for pushing him? She knew how the Laxus of a year ago would've responded, sparks and fists flying, but this Laxus was more intimidating. He wasn't as bull headed as he used to be and he seemed to have developed more of a tactical mindset. She supposed she could thank Freed for those new attributes in the Thunder God.

Laxus came in carrying two bottles of strong Boscan spiced rum and a bucket of ice. That alone told Lucy all she needed to know about this conversation. She let Laxus take his time, knowing how hard this was going to be on him. She honestly had no idea which way he would go. Would he stay with Freed, someone he obviously loved, or would he accept the beautiful woman that fate destined him to have.

"How did you know?" The silence was broken as he poured their first glasses. He had yet to meet her eyes though. His head downcast and shoulders slumped.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I just knew something was different, then the way you were reacting… I've read a lot of books about this stuff. You know, I used to think I would be Natsu's? I just always thought he was to dumb to see the signs. Turns out he knew the signs all along, he was just waiting on his mate to come back," Lucy reminisced on times of the past. Back when she was a bit younger and a whole lot more naïve.

"What am I supposed to do? Freed…" the big blond slayer wore an expression of absolute heartache. There were no doubts in Lucy's head that Laxus loves Freed. It was in the way he sat and listened to the green haired mage read aloud or the way his eyes followed him in a room.

"You know it wouldn't be fair. Nothing would ever be the same now." She knew she didn't have to remind the slayer of how it all worked. He'd spent enough time talking to Christoff about this stuff lately that he probably knew more than she did.

"But what is going to happen? Mate with Xally and just parade it all in Freed's face? I can't do that. Maybe I can go away for a bit. Settle my head. That what I need. Freed can stay with Bix. Xally will still be here. I can go somewhere and just figure everything out," Laxus was mumbling under his breathe. The situation brought him to a new mental turmoil, one he'd never really been in before. He was running. The great Thunder God was afraid of a situation and he was doing his best not to just bolt out of there that second.

"Laxus," Lucy cooed gently as she set her hand on his arm. He gave a start as she brought him from his inner thoughts. "Go get your things. I'd been contemplating going back to the mountain anyway. I've been away for to long. You can come back with me until you get everything sorted in your head."

The relief was evident in his eyes. She'd just given him the out he needed, as well as a confidante for his struggles. He slowly let out a ragged breathe and nodded his head. He knew running was the wrong thing to do, but he just couldn't face this situation right now. He'd been contemplating the thought of taking Freed as his mate, regardless of what fate had said. He loved the rune mage, but now, the feeling was still there, there was just a sort of competition going. Not that he loved Xally yet, not by any means. He'd only been around the water mage a few times, and he honestly couldn't figure out why it took this time for his dragon to awaken to her scent. He was lost in his thoughts when Lucy called out one of her spirits.

"Virgo, we're heading back to the cave. Would you mind gathering up our things?" The maid stood there with her emotionless eyes and a face that gave absolutely nothing away.

"Yes princess. The other two as well?"

"No, that won't be necessary Virgo, they're not going. Just myself and Laxus," the maid bowed her head and had anyone been looking closely, they would've seen the look of pity in the pink haired spirit's eyes.

"I'm not sure what you have to do, but she'll be done soon. Are we going to tell everyone or just go?" Lucy wasn't sure how this was going to go either. She was giving him the options.

"Let's just go. There's a couple things I'm going to do but they won't take long. How about we meet at the city gates in half an hour?" Laxus was already standing and making his way toward the door flaps before the blonde could even answer him. She vaguely heard the sound of thunder and knew he'd took off to do whatever. She had her guesses but she wouldn't press him, instead she'd let him come to her on his own.

There wasn't much Lucy had to do to be ready to leave. She had a letter already waiting to be delivered to Arman. Thanking him for his hospitality and how she was excited already for the next visit. She'd written the letter days ago, not really knowing when she was going to bite the bullet and leave. She had sent a mental push to Kaleb, letting him know she was leaving as well, the blonde had begun to look at her with a keen interest. Almost as an older brother or teacher would look at their student/younger sibling. The guild master was hesitant at first, not so sure about the idea of the blonde going off on her own, however hearing Laxus was tagging alone, he was more reassured that the blonde was going to survive out there alone.

She soon made her way toward the gates where she said she'd meet the lightning slayer. She knew she was going to be hurting two other people taking him away from them, but something just told her this was the right thing to do. It was a nice day, all things considered. The sun was shining down, not unbearably hot or anything. Just warm enough that the rays warmed the skin exposed by her traditional Boscan outfit which really looked more like a genie outfit from the books her mother would read to her when she was smaller, but if she thought about it, they were probably inspired by the Boscan attire.

She decided to stop by a shop and pick up some off Laxus's favorite Boscan Gold Label, knowing how hard it would be for him. She'd just turned the last corner from the gates when she came face to face, well face to chest, with another stunning blonde. This one too was in a veil outfit, only hers were red, which was an amazing complement to her blazing eyes and bronzed skin. Lucy stepped back to get a good look at the woman and decided she'd definitely give Mira Jane a run for her money, but there was just something about her.

"I'm so sorry about that, I was lost in my own little world. Have a nice day!" Lucy quickly ducked around the woman, their arms brushing as they passed.

Laxus was more than ready to get out of Bosco, so much so that he met Lucy before she even reached the gates and jumped them to her mountain. Disoriented, Lucy immediately walked over and lowered herself onto the lip of the cave, putting her head in her hands. She didn't understand how his team ever got used to the feeling of every piece of their very being getting so supercharged. It was a nauseating feeling for sure. She was concerned when she watched the lightning slayer walk into the woods without so much as a backwards glance. However, she almost understood his feelings.

Even though Laxus's dragon had never reacted to Freed, they still hoped, thinking maybe it was a late bloomer, and to be even more confusing, he'd been around Xally half a dozen times before and his dragon never even lifted its head. So why now? He was so conflicted on his feelings. One part of him was ecstatic that he'd found his mate, while the other was completely heartbroken at the thought of Freed. Laxus was all caught up in his own thoughts that he missed the blazing beam of light that shot down out of the sky a few hours after he'd arrived at the little creek he was sitting beside.

"You fucking bitch!" Those words had him running back toward the cave as fast as he could, he knew that voice. He also knew it spelled complete trouble.


	21. Chapter XX

Lucy knew Laxus was going through a lot mentally, that's why she wasn't upset when he spent most of the evening out by himself. The sun was just starting to set when she decided she'd better go find the man. Her and Virgo had been cleaning up any dust that may have settled in her time away and putting away all the things her and Laxus had brought with them from Bosco. She'd just left her spirit putting together a simple soup on the open fire in the cave when she felt another presence incoming. She was temporarily blinded by a flash of light.

"You fucking bitch!" An unfamiliar voice came from the light and a force knocked Lucy's face to the side in what could only be a brutal backhand slap. From the ground, Lucy got her first look at her attacker. To say the other woman was beautiful would be an understatement, but it was the unbridled fury in her eyes that sparked the other blonde to action.

"Who the hell are you?" Lucy questioned as she hopped back to her feet, hand resting on her hip right above where her whip was hanging. She didn't particularly want to fight the woman there, knowing her poor cave would be caught in the crossfire.

"Emzadi! What are you doing here?!" Laxus growled out once he made it back to their area. The amber eyed dragoness whipped her head and bared her fangs at him in a warning.

"Stay out of this Laxus. This is between me and her, and once it's over, I'm dragging you back to Bosco to my sister." She was thrown off guard for a split second when she turned and found Lucy gone. It didn't take long for her to catch her scent and be after her like the predator she is.

Lucy knew she had to beat the other woman. She didn't know how, or even why she had such a strong need to. Only that she did need to. She'd heard stories of the solar dragon slayer. How she could clear a whole mountain with a single roar. She really didn't know how she was going to make anything happen with this fight. She kept running until she came to the clearing where her and her spirits would always train. She quickly ran through scenarios in her head, re-evaluating everything she knew about the dragon slayer. Her heightened senses and her hot headedness would be her greatest weakness, almost like Natsu.

Lucy saw a bright light heading her way and didn't even have time to dodge before she was being pinned to a tree trunk.

"Why would you do it? Why take him away? Xally needs him, she wants him. You hurt my sister, but more importantly you hurt my mate," the end was growled low through clenched teeth. "Imagine my surprise to come home, smell this relaxing smell, only for it to lead me to Freed. A man I've been around multiple times, but this time my dragon is going nuts, because not only have we found our mate. No, it couldn't be that easy. That mate just happens to be in love with someone else, and bleeding out in a bathroom." At this, Lucy's eyes widened in complete shock.

"Do you know how many people it took to get through his wards to get to him. Cris almost didn't make it in time. So now, my mate is clinging to his sanity and life, and my sister thinks she's the one to blame for it all. She feels so guilty she's already been asking Kaleb if she could go on a long term mission for a few months." Lucy did feel a slight tinge of guilt over Xally, she never meant to harm the poor woman in any way. Her heart ached for the rune mage however.

"Listen, I'm sorry all that happened, and I'm glad Freed is okay," Lucy tried to placate the other blonde as she tried to maneuver herself to a more advantageous position without being completely obvious.

"Oh don't even play the concerned card with me. You could care less. Otherwise you would've told Laxus to suck it up and do the right thing." Emzadi snapped back, fangs glinting in the last vestiges of sunlight.

It was then when Laxus burst through the trees. He'd heard all of what the other slayer had said. Was it all really his fault? Freed almost died. He never meant for any of it to happen. He was overwhelmed. Sure, he could ignore the mating call, but he'd never feel complete. There would always be a pull to Xally, and now to hear that Emzadi claimed Freed was her own mate. Things were just so complicated, the lightning mage didn't even know what to think of any of it.

"You stay out of this Laxus. We'll have our own time to settle things. You've hurt two very important people to me and you won't get away with it."

Lucy took the distraction and capitalized on it. She summoned her Virgo stardress and immediately dove underground. Even dragon slayers couldn't smell through the earth. She knew whatever she was going to do had to be done fast. She'd have to outwit the other woman, knowing a test of brute strength was out of the question. She was planning her next move when she felt a jolt to the earth. When she came to the surface, Emzadi was on the ground, muscles twitching.

"Listen blondie, thanks for bringing me, but I think this is something I'd better go take care of. None of it is an ideal situation, but this is the hand we've been dealt and we have to make the most of it." The hulking blonde slowly made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you for giving me a choice. I'm gonna need you to take of yourself out here. I'll be back soon to check on you."

With a peck to her forehead, Lucy watched the lightning slayer pick up the other blonde and started charging himself up for a jump. She was worried about him, knew he was still unsure about this whole mate situation, but the look in his eyes before they flashed out of the clearing was one of apprehension but also of hope. She knew Xally would be a good mate for him, not personally but she'd heard enough from her family. Also, all of Arman's children were exceptional in their own ways.

Emotionally exhausted from the day's events, Lucy slowly trudged her way back to her cave. Virgo had clearly packed all of Laxus's belongings because his little corner of the cave was once again bare. It made Lucy a little sad to think of how she was going to be alone again. She'd gotten so used to the company from the time she woke up to the time she went to sleep.

She sat in the mouth of the cave with a bowl of the soup Virgo cooked, it kept her warm in the chill of the night. For the first time in a long time, she slept in her own bed. It seemed to big without Bickslow or one of the others there to lay next to. Eventually, she started to dream.


	22. Chapter XX alt pov

Okay so I wasn't going to make this anything more than a short little summary flashback deal in a future chapter, but some of you just weren't understanding the angle i was getting at. So I hope this conveys a bit of why Em flew off the handle like she did. I still don't feel like I quite did my thoughts justice on it all but maybe this helps paint a better picture. As always, thanks so much for sticking with my little story. XOXO

It had been two months since Emzadi had seen her family. There had been a dark guild terrorizing a town in the north and she'd been sent to deal with it, along with a small select team. The dark mages weren't relatively powerful or anything, but they did have a slippery set of siblings. The older brother was an illusion mage while the younger sister was a teleportation mage. Together, they kept even Emzadi on the hunt for longer than most. It finally took her blowing a hole in the side of a mountain for them to realize that running was futile. They attempted a small amount of resistance but quickly stopped that as well. By the time it was all said and done, the blonde dragon slayer was more than ready to be home.

Her father had told her that Bickslow and the others were there and they'd brought a woman with them, one that both intrigued her father and brothers and put the latter on edge. Arman had told her how the celestial mage had actually found fault in Kaleb and could resist Vander's charms. She really couldn't wait to meet this woman, honestly hoped they'd get along. Most women were intimidated by her, the pheromones she naturally put off as a female dragon slayer were made to warn off weaker females, but according to her father, Lucy was anything but a weak female.

The days seemed to slide by in her anticipation of getting home. She missed her family and couldn't wait to see them. She would've just jumped them all home as soon as they were finished but one of her team had been hurt and they had to wait a few days for his condition to stabilize enough to make the journey home. Finally the day came and she was walking through the front door to her childhood home. The first thing to hit her nose was Mr. Elan's cooking, then a heavenly scent hit her nose. Not heavenly like fresh baked bread or cookies. No, more like a cozy afternoon scent, like pages in your favorite book when you curl up on a window seat and lose a whole day reading. Never one to deny her instincts, she followed her nose to a second floor bathroom. Here the scent changed, took on a metallic scent.

It took less than a second for the dragon inside of her to go ballistic. It screamed at her to get in that room, to help whoever it was on the other side. It was roaring words so loudly she couldn't even make out what they were. When she touched the door however, runes shot from the handle and the thing wouldn't budge. She tried to use more force, even tried kicking it in and it wouldn't budge.

Soon one word began to filter through her dragon's panic. Mate. She had no idea who was on the other side of that door, all she knew was that they were in trouble and they were her's.

She heard the front door slam open and loud footsteps pounding up the stairway, the smell of mints let her know who it was coming.

"Kaleb said you were panicking and he couldn't get through. Who's in the bathroom Em?" Christoff asked as he was already trying to get through the door. The runes flashed any time the door was touched.

"I don't know Cris. We have to get them though. My dragon says they're my mate. What if," Cristoff cut her off with a sharp look.

"Don't even think that way Em. We'll save him. God we knew he was going to take this hard, but damn." Christoff was muttering to himself, still trying to find a way around the doorway.

"Who is it Cris? Who's behind that door?" Emzadi was starting to lose her cool, quite literally. The temperature in the hallway was starting to get a bit warmer, her power unconsciously manifesting itself in her desperation.

"Why don't you just not use the door?" Vander questioned as he popped out of the voids next to Christoff.

"Dad would kill us for busting out another wall, remember last time?" Chris looked at Vander like he was an idiot for even suggesting the idea, but Emzadi had had enough waiting. Her dragon urged her on, reminded her that her mate was behind those walls, where the smell of blood was overwhelming her.

BOOM! A hole was blasted to one side of the room and the blonde dragoness made her way into the room. What she found will forever haunt her.

Green mixed with red. That's what was the primary focus in the room. The porcelain clawfoot tub was filled almost to the brim, but the water had long since been turned crimson. One hand draped over the side of the tub, dripping blood into a puddle on the floor, the other was submerged in the tub. Freed's long hair was floating on top of the red water. Emzadi was shocked, her throat clogged and her eyes immediately started watering.

"Somebody find Xally!" Cristoff yelled, already sending his magic into the rune mage. The water was still warm and he'd not lost to much blood yet. Another five minutes and they'd probably have been to late.

Freed's aqua eyes slowly pried open and he looked blearily around the faces hovering over him, then he locked on Emzadi and made a pained sound. She had tears running down her face, slowly inching her way forward. She was honestly afraid to even touch him, he looked so fragile laying in that bath tub. She couldn't see souls or hear them like her brothers, but she knew darkness when she was near it. She didn't know how she'd never noticed it before, or why the mate bond had decided to make itself known now.

It was less than five minutes from when they entered the room until Xally was rushing into the room with Bickslow right on her heels. She immediately dropped onto the wet floor next to their brother and got to work. Cristoff and Vander had pulled him out of the bathtub once Cris had closed his wounds. They both muttered things under their breath to each other and worked like a well oiled machine.

Emzadi took this time to look over the changes in Freed, his face had regained some color, he no longer had the gashes on his palms from gripping his rapier by the blade to cut his own wrists. His breathing was even and he looked to be sleeping peacefully at this point.

"That's really all we can do Em. The rest is going to be up to him," Cristoff told her as he carried the mage into a guest room. She wanted him in her room but given the situation thought it would be selfish of her.

"Why would he do this?" She questioned aloud as she stood gazing down at the green haired man.

"That's something you're going to have to talk to him about. I just don't know how he'll act when he wakes up though. Just be patient with him." Cristoff left her with a pat on the shoulder.

Emzadi sat for hours, just watching him breathe. She'd changed him and wiped all the bloody water off of him in the bathroom. Time passed slowly as she sat in the chair next to the bed. She thought of all the previous times they'd been around one another. Freed and the rest of the thunder legion had visited not long after their Tenrou nap. From then on, Freed made it a point to visit for at least a week every couple of months. She would sometimes see him going into the massage rooms with attendants at the bath houses. They even discussed the lightning slayer on a couple of occasions. Emzadi knew he was very educated and came from high society back in Fiore. She also knew he had a darker side to him, had felt it brush at the surface a few times, but he always had control over it.

It was a whimper that drew her attention back to the present. A small sound, then a furrowed brow. Lastly, a pained name was released from his lips, and with that name came the roaring of her dragon. It wanted to claim its mate and also find the man who's name was just whispered.

Bickslow stopped by a bit later and Emzadi asked if he could watch over Freed while she ran an errand, but to let her know immediately if something changed with him. After she changed out of the outfit she'd soaked earlier with Freed's blood and water, she made her way toward the guild. She'd ask her brother where the lightning slayer was, if she couldn't find him in the guild herself that was.

She heard muffled voices when she approached her brother's office after an unsuccessful search for the other dragon slayer.

"Please just let me go Kaleb! He left me. Look at what happened to Freed because of it. It's better for everyone involved if I just disappear for a while as well," Xally was begging their brother and Emzadi couldn't take being in the dark any longer, so she busted right into the room with to hesitation.

"So, mind telling me what Laxus has to do with what Freed did and you trying to skip town?" She eyed her sister down, knowing she'd never lie to her.

"This is all such a mess, find out I have a mate only for him to reject me." Xally began to mumble. She wasn't exactly sure how her sister was going to react to this whole thing.

"Sit down Emzadi," Kaleb said in his no nonsense guild master voice. "As you know, Laxus and Freed were seeing each other romantically. Today, Laxus showed all the signs of being Xally's mate. We believe Lucy was trying to push Laxus into a situation where he'd have to admit it in one way or another. However, they ended up leaving instead." Kaleb was still unsure of the situation himself. Why would Laxus leave? Freed had to have known he wasn't his mate, and that they'd come along eventually.

"So Freed tried to kill himself and my sister is trying to leave because some woman took Laxus away? Where did they go?" Emzadi kept her cool and tried not to openly think about anything more than the now.

"You'd have to ask Bix. I'm not sure exactly where Lucy's mountain is." Once the words were out of his mouth the blonde was gone. Between Freed and the anguish on her sister's face, she'd make sure to bring Laxus back and teach the bitch who took him a lesson. She was really surprised when the only think Kaleb said after she left was to not kill anyone or cause any international incidents.

Bickslow was a bit skeptical when she asked where Lucy's mountain was but eventually he told her. Of course she may have told him it was so she could go tell them about Freed. She knew if she told him the truth he'd never tell her.

She felt completely justified in her reasons. She comes home and finds her mate dying on the bathroom floor, this sets her dragon off completely. While she can't blame that directly on anyone, she did think the situation with Laxus just up and leaving could have been handled better and not ended in Freed's suicide attempt. Then, she comes across her sister begging her brother to let her leave because she thinks her mate has rejected her.

Everyone always thought it was only the dragon slayers that felt the rejections but it doesn't work that way. The mate feels the pull as soon as the dragon recognizes and acknowledges the mate. So for Xally, less than an hour of the bond forming, her mate had left her, and knowing her sister, she probably blamed herself completely for Freed's situation as well.

Deep down, Emzadi knew what she was setting out to do wasn't going to help anyone, but her dragon was completely unhinged. Her mate had almost died, her sister, her kin, was hurting beyond anything they'd been through before. Primal feelings ruled her at this moment, primal thoughts.

By the time Emzadi finally landed in the right spot on the mountain, she was an unbridled ball of fury. She didn't know how she knew the blonde in front of her was the correct one, she just knew. There was a vibe she was getting from the other woman, one of power. Not the raw kind, the refined sort. The kind that makes you want to follow it, but in dragon society, you challenged power, made it prove itself. What good was great power if you didn't know how to use it. This was going to be her test. Either she was going to prove herself to Emzadi right now or she was going to get crushed like so many before her. There would be no holding back either. In Emzadi's mind, she stole her sister's mate. As soon as she landed on the ground from her last jump, she tore into the other blonde.

"You fucking Bitch!"


	23. Chapter XXI

Okay so this is short, and I apologize for the long wait just for this little bit. I'm just kind of trying to gather exactly how I want the next bit to go. I'm excited to get to the mystery man unveiling but I don't want to rush anything! the struggle is real!

It was a whole week before anyone came to check on the celestial mage. Cristoff showed up in the middle of one of her training sessions with Loke and Capricorn. He propped up against a tree on the outskirt of the clearing they were tearing through. He was impressed with the tenacity the blonde showed. She was absolutely ruthless in her pursuit of the spirits. When one would get knocked to far out of range, the other would seamlessly step in to keep the flow of the fight going. Kicks and punches were exchanged, all three taking their fair share of hits. Cris wasn't really sure what que he missed but suddenly the flow of battle changed.

Loke came at Lucy with a savage roar, hands glowing in his Regulus magic, while Capricorn charged in with a determined gleam in his eyes. Lucy stood with her eyes closed in the middle, looking as calm as could be. When they got within range, Lucy dropped into a crouch punching upward into Loke's stomach and knocking the lion spirit out of range. Spinning up out of the crouch, Lucy rose with a kick out at Capricorn. The goat man deftly blocked it but he wasn't expecting the flip she incorporated into the motion which put her heel smashing into the underside of his chin and her landing in yet another crouched position. She didn't have much time to rest before Loke was on her with glowing fists again. Lucy met him full force and the shockwave from the colliding forces almost knocked Cris off his feet. He looked at the space the who had met and saw them in a standstill, both fists shining and neither budging an inch.

"Ah, Miss Lucy, you have a guest," Capricorn interrupted as the two leapt away from one another. The blonde seemed to have to shake herself out of the haze of battle.

"Cristoff, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked as she took a towel Virgo popped out to give her.

"Everyone was worried so I volunteered to come check on you. Plus, I thought you'd want an update on what's going on." The lunar slayer watched as the blonde began to stretch herself to keep her muscles loose. It was almost like watching a weed wave in the grass sea, the fluidity she moved with.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if I want to know. I'm sure I've been handed blame for quite a bit that went on, and I know everyone is alive, I'd have been informed otherwise by now." She had a downcast look when she thought about the people she'd come to enjoy blaming her for something that honestly wasn't her fault. Yes, Laxus left with her, but he was going regardless. At least this way, he wasn't going to be alone. Oh well, if they wanted to be upset with her, they could. She was in such a weird state mentally she didn't really care.

For the past week, she'd felt like she'd been watched. Her spirits assured her that everything was fine and that there was nothing to worry about, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was indeed something out there. One night, she was having a nightmare and was on the verge of full consciousness when what felt like a large body slipped in the bed around her and soothed her back to sleep. She'd thought it was Loke, until he assured her the next morning that he was with Aries the night before.

"Well yeah, everyone is alive. Freed is doing better, Emzadi has been fawning over him like a mother hen. She's done a number for his confidence and he's seemed to ground her a bit. They really do make quite the pair," Cristoff started rambling on, even though he could tell something about it all was bothering the blonde. "Laxus and Xally have been taking things slowly. They'll sit on the back deck most days and just talk. I don't think Laxus is quite ready to mate but he's not rejecting her, so that's always a good sign. We think," Lucy cut Cristoff off right then.

"Can you tell me something?"

"Well yeah, what is it Lucy?" She had a look that said she was completely lost. Like she knew what she wanted to ask about but not quite how to say the words.

"How do you know?" At the questioning look from the dragon slayer, the blonde clarified. "How do you know you've been around your mate? I know the feelings are a tad different for the non-slayer, but what exactly are they?"

Cristoff was stumped by this. Lucy had been around all the slayers enough that if she were someone's mate, they'd know for sure. She wouldn't be having to question him now.

"I know it sounds crazy, but what if there's another slayer?" Cristoff was stumped. Though it was slim, there was always the chance of there being another slayer. Hell, no one knew if all the dragon lacrima were accounted for. It was highly unlikely, but not impossible.

"I wake up every morning like I'm missing some vital part of myself. I've been having nightmares as well since everything happened. Mostly about losing Aquarius, but some nights, it's like a presence comes in and just soothes all that pain away. Then, the next morning I wake to my pillow smelling like damp earth and I'm in a bed that's way to warm for just one body. My heart breaks a little each time I wake up to find that I really am still alone. It's like I know someone is there and they're supposed to be there, but they don't stay. Am I not good enough?"

Cristoff had to run to catch the blonde as she slowly dropped to the ground in tears. What she'd just described was exactly what a mate would go through if their slayer didn't stick around to solidify their bond. They'd get teases of the process and the break period would hit them harder and harder until they broke. Cristoff was determined to figure out what was going on, otherwise it could very well be the end of the woman he was holding in his arms.


End file.
